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Published    by 

The  Farm  Journal 

Philadelphia 


°f=  **T 


HORSE 
SECRETS 


WRITTEN,  COMPILED  AND  NOW 
DISCLOSED 


BY 

A.  S.  ALEXANDER 

Profeuor  of  Veterinary  Science,  and  in  charge  of  the  Department  of 
Horse  Breeding,  College  of  Agriculture,  University 


of  Wisconsin. 


ALAS  !  HE  CANNOT  TALK ! 

"I  don'  see  much  use  in  de  scientis'  folks  study- 
ing monkey  talk,  but  a  study  of  hoss  talk  dat  'ud 
let  de  animal  tell  all  about  hisse'f  befo'  a  trade 
comes  off  'ud  save  a  heap  o'  hard  feelings." 

"Uncle  Ezra,"  in  Washington  Star. 


philadelphia-1909 
WILMER  ATKINSON   COMPANY 

Price,  25  Cents 


- 


Copyright,  1909 
Wilmer  Atkinson  Co. 


INTRODUCTION 


Dr.  A.  S.  Alexander,  the  writer  and  compiler  of  "Horse  Secrets,' 
has  had  upward  of  25  years'  experience  in  matters  pertaining  to  agri- 
culture, horse  breeding,  veterinary  science,  press  writing  and  teaching. 
He  was  the  author  of  the  first  stallion  service  legislation  and  inspec- 
tion regulation  in  America,  the  first  law  of  the  kind  having  been 
written  by  him  and  enacted  by  the  Wisconsin  Legislature  in  1905. 
Similar  legislation  now  is  in  force  in  some  16  other  states,  and  it  is 
accomplishing  much  for  the  improvement  of  horse  breeding. 

Horse  trading  offers  unusual  opportunities  and  temptations  for 
sharp  practises.  Both  buyer  and  seller  equally  need  to  be  horse-wise 
and  alert.  Dishonesty  is  discountenanced  in  the  great  horse  markets, 
but  it  is  common  among  scalpers,  "  gyps"  and  small  traders  outside 
of  the  recognized  markets  and  is  likely  to  be  practised  by  either  the 
buyer  or  the  seller. 

The  items  published  in  these  pages  disclose  many  sharp  practises 
which,  aside  from  their  interest  as  facts  not  generally  known,  are 
valuable  as  information  for  the  man  who  would  engage  intelligently 
in  horse  buying  and  selling. 

The  writer  and  publishers  of  this  book  desire  to  expose  these 
tricks,  and  to  decry  their  practise  in  the  markets  and  among  outside 
dealers  and  breeders.  "Forewarned  is  forearmed,"  and  the  infor- 
mation here  given  will  doubtless  save  many  a  man  from  loss,  and 
tend  to  make  dishonesty  less  rife  because  less  likely  to  succeed. 

In  mentioning  the  various  tricks  herein  disclosed,  the  exact 
methods  have  not  been  given  in  detail.  We  have  no  desire  to  in- 
struct readers  so  that  they  may  "go  and  do  likewise";  for  the  same 
reason  doses  have  not  been  given  for  the  administration  of  the  various 
drugs  and  "dopes  "  used  by  tricksters. 

The  matter  relating  to  the  purchase  of  stallions  should  prove 
specially  interesting  and  valuable.  It  is  a  matter  of  general  knowl- 
edge among  the  initiated  that  stallions  are  frequently  sold  at  exces- 
sive prices  to  companies  of  farmers,  and  that  "peddlers"  of  such 
stallions  are  unscrupulous  in  their  methods  of  obtaining  signers  to 
the  notes  taken  for  the  purchase  of  such  horses.  The  facts  published 
with  respect  to  this  business  should  serve  to  warn  farmers  that  they 
are  apt  to  be  cheated  in  purchasing  a  stallion  on  the  "company 
plan,"  and  that  it  is  always  best,  safest  and  most  profitable  to  pur- 
chase a  stallion  direct  from  a  reputable  breeder  or  importer,  for  by 
so  doing  much  money  will  be  saved  and  the  horse  bought  will  be 
much  more  likely  to  prove  sound  and  suitable  and  to  give  satisfaction. 

Dr.  Alexander  desires  in  this  place  to  acknowledge  his  indebted- 
ness to  the  publishers  of  the  various  farm  and  stock  papers  from  the 
pages  of  which  extracts  have  been  taken. 

WILMER  ATKINSON  CO. 


4  HORSE   SECRETS 

Contents. 

Page 

HORSE  FEEDING  SECRETS ; 

Secret  of  Hand  Raising  a  Foal  7 

Secret  of  Feeding   Silage   to    Horses    8 

Secret  of  Fattening  Drafters   9 

Secret  of  Feeding  Molasses  10 

SECRETS  OF  VARIOUS  VICES  12 

Secret  of  Stopping  Halter  Pulling 12 

Secret  of  Preventing  Mules  from  Kicking  13 

Secret  of  Tying  a  Mare  with  a  Foal 13 

Secret  of  Handling  a  Balky  Horse  13 

Secret  of  Curing  a  Stall  Kicker 16 

SECRET  TRICKS  IN  HORSE  TRADING  18 

Secret  of  Shutting  a  Heaver 18 

Secret  of  Plugging  a  Roarer  18 

Diamond  Cut  Diamond  19 

Making  a  Horse  Act  Mean 20 

Blowing  Air  Under  the  Skin  20 

Stopping  a  Switcher  20 

Turpentine  and  Gasoline  Tricks  21 

Gingering  a  Show  Horse  2T 

Unnerving  and  Cocaining  22 

Keep  an  Eye  on  the  Sign  Board 22 

Secret  of  Hiding  a  Spavin 23 

Artificially  Induced  Knee  Action 22, 

Artificial  Tail  Trick 24 

Keeping  a  Horse  "In  the  Air"    24 

The  Loose  Shoe  Trick  25 

Wire    Marks    Over    Side-Bones    25 

Wedging  a  Cribber 25 

Making  an  Artificial  Star 26 

Black  Spots  on  a  White  Horse 27 

Broken  Crest  or  Wrong  Lying  Mane 27 

Concealing  Discharging  Sinuses  27 

The  Galloping  Past  Dodge    28 

Keeping  a  Horse  on  Edge  28 

An  Eye  for  An  Eye  28 

Examine  the  Ears  29 

Bishoping — An  Old  Trick  30 

How  Bishoping  is  Done   30 

MISCELLANEOUS  SECRETS  32 

The  Widow  Trick  32 

Landing  a  Sucker 33 


HORSE  SECRETS  5 

MISCELLANEOUS  SECRETS— Continued.  Page 

A  Horse  That  Was  Right  There   34 

An  Honest  "Hoss"  Dealer  34 

A  Sharper's  Smooth  Sayings  35 

The  Winter  Board  Trick 35 

How  Horses  Catch  Cold   36 

Tricks  in  Measuring  Horses   36 

SECRETS  ABOUT  STALLION  SELLING  37 

Palming  Off  a  Grade  Stallion   37 

Stud  Books  Approved  by  the  Government 38 

Stud  Books  Not  Certified  by  the  Government 39 

Story  of  a  Company  Stallion  Deal  39 

Horse  Peddlers'  Confessions   41 

The  Sale  of  Les  Epinards   41 

The  Sale  of  Transmigrator    42 

SOME  VETERINARY  SECRETS 44 

Secret  of  Preventing  Navel  and  Joint  Disease  44 

Symptoms  of  Bad  Teeth  45 

Remedies  for  Tail  Rubbing  45 

A   Cruel  Cure  for  Heaves    46 

An  Astringent  for  Scours  47 

An  Old  Operation  for  Spavin  47 

Facts  About  Pigment  Tumors  48 

SECRETS  OF  BUYING  AND  SELLING  HORSES 49 

Auction  Sale  Rules  49 

Reputable  Dealers  Protect  Their  Patrons  50 

Two  Sides  to  a  Horse  51 

A    little    111    to    Distract    Attention   From  a  Big  One    52 

Beware  of  Hoof  Dressing  52 

Buying  a  Pair  53 

A  High  English  Guarantee 53 

An  Unsound  Horse  Sometimes  a  Good  Bargain  54 

A    Second-Hand   Horse    54 

"Protecting"  the  Buyer   55 

Splitting  the  Profit  Three  Ways   55 

A  Glossary  of  Market  Terms  56 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2009  with  funding  from 

Boston  Library  Consortium  Member  Libraries 


http://www.archive.org/details/horsesecretsOOalex 


HORSE   SECRETS 


Horse  Feeding  Secrets. 


Secret  of  Hand  Raising  a  Foal. 

AN  orphan  foal  can  be  successfully  raised  on  cows'  milk 
if  the  work  is  intelligently  and  patiently  conducted. 
Mares'  milk  is  sweeter  than  cows'  milk,  but  less  rich 
in  butter  fat;  therefore,  in  using  cows'  milk  for  foal 
feeding,   choose   that  which   is   poor   in   butter  fat — 
3   per   cent,    or   thereabout — and   sweeten    it   with   sugar    or 
molasses.    The  latter  sweetening  has  the  advantage  of  acting 
as  a  mild  aperient. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  the  first  milk  (colostrum) 
of  the  mare  contains  a  purgative  principle  for  the  removal 
of  the  meconium  from  the  intestinal  tract  of  the  foal,  and  as 
the  orphan  foal  does  not  receive  this  natural  cathartic  it  is 
apt  to  suffer  from  constipation,  which  may  prove  fatal.  To 
prevent  this  inject  into  the  rectum  of  the  foal,  twice  daily 
from  birth,  two  or  three  ounces  of  warm  water  containing 
one  to  two  teaspoonfuls  of  glycerine,  and  continue  this  treat- 
ment until  the  bowels  have  been  moved  freely. 

A  mixture  of  equal  quantities  of  cream,  molasses  and 
warm  water  also  makes  a  good  injection  fluid  for  a  young 
foal,  and  some  horsemen  insert  a  small,  thin  tallow-dip  candle 
into  the  rectum  for  a  like  purpose. 

At  first  the  foal  should  be  fed  once  an  hour,  but 
gradually  the  times  of  feeding  may  be  reduced  in  number. 
Feed  the  milk  blood  warm,  giving  at  first  half  a  cupful  at 
each  meal  and  with  it  three  tablespoonfuls  of  lime  water  to 
the  pint  of  milk.  The  foal  will  take  the  milk  readily  from  a 
large  rubber  nipple  fitted  on  the  neck  of  a  feeding  bottle  which 
must  be  often  well  scalded.  A  kid  glove  thumb  perforated 
and  fitted  over  the  spout  of  a  small  teapot  will  do  almost  as 
well  as  a  rubber  nipple  and  feeding  bottle. 

Hand-fed  foals  tend  to  scour.  When  such  trouble  starts 
withhold  two  or  more  feeds  of  milk,  and  give  one  to  four 
tablespoonfuls  of  castor  oil  in  milk,  according  to  the  severity 
of  the  attack  and  the  size  of  the  foal,  and  repeat  the  dose  every 
time  there  is  any  derangement  of  the  digestive  organs. 

Soon  the  foal  may  be  fed  but  six  times  a  day.  then  four 
times,  and  in  a  few  weeks  it  will  freely  take  milk  and  lime 


8  HORSE  SECRETS 

water  from  a  clean  pail.  At  this  stage  sugar  may  be  omitted 
and  the  lime  water  be  given  only  once  a  day.  The  secret  of 
success  is  to  feed  a  little  milk  often  and  to  keep  all  utensils 
scrupulously  sweet  and  clean.  As  soon  as  he  will  take  to  it, 
the  foal  may  be  allowed  to  lick  oatmeal  in  small  quantities; 
gradually  increase  the  amount  and  add  wheat  bran.  After 
six  weeks  give  a  little  sweet  skim-milk  in  place  of  a  part  of 
the  new  milk,  and  by  increasing  the  amount  day  by  day  the 
foal  may  at  three  months  old  take  skim-milk  entirely  and 
continue  to  drink  it  freely  three  or  four  times  daily  while 
eating  grass,  grain  and  bran. 


Secret  of  Feeding  Silage  to  Horses. 

It  is  commonly  believed  that  corn  silage  cannot  safely 
or  profitably  be  fed  to  horses.  Investigation  shows  that  this 
belief  is  ill  advised,  for  some  horsemen  feed  silage  successfully. 

A  noted  Wisconsin  breeder  has  used  corn  silage  exten- 
sively as  a  feed  for  horses  as  a  part  of  the  winter  ration  during 
the  past  -eighteen  years.  The  number  wintered  each  year 
averages  about  ioo.    His  method  is  as  follows: 

In  making  silage  for  horses  the  corn  is  allowed  to  stand 
until  nearly  out  of  the  milk,  as  better  results  have  thus  been 
obtained  than  when  it  is  cut  greener.  The  silo  is  filled  as 
rapidly  as  possible,  and  when  full  is  allowed  to  settle  for  four 
or  five  days,  when  it  is  again  filled.  Care  is  taken  to  pack 
the  silage  tightly  around  the  walls. 

The  silo  is  opened  about  November  15th,  when  the  herds 
have  been  brought  in  from  the  pastures.  Care  is  taken  to 
feed  the  horses  lightly  at  first  so  that  they  may  become 
accustomed  to  the  new  food. 

A  large  bin  has  been  built,  connecting  with  a  room  below 
the  doors  of  the  silo.  This  bin  is  filled  from  time  to  time 
with  a  mixture  of  four  parts  of  hay  and  one  of  straw,  cut 
about  3  inches  long,  by  being  run  through  a  silage  machine. 
The  silage  is  always  mixed  with  this  cut  hay  and  straw  before 
feeding.  The  proportions  are  about  one  to  five  of  silage  by 
weight.  By  cutting  the  hay  and  straw,  the  amount  wasted  is 
reduced  to  a  minimum. 

The  corn  is  never  taken  out  of  the  silo  before  it  is  ready 
to  be  used.  The  entire  top  is  removed  each  day  to  a  depth 
of  about  two  inches.  Any  silage  that  is  spoilt  is  thrown  away. 
The  silage  and  hay-straw  are  mixed  thoroughly  by  forking 
over  several  times  in  the  room,  already  referred  to.  By  doing 
this  the  horses  do  not  obtain  all  the  silage  at  one  time.  Any 
grain  that  is  fed  is  put  in  the  manger  with  the  silage. 


HORSE   SECRETS  9 

The  amount  of  ensilage  fed  to  different  horses  varies  with 
the  animal.  It  is  found  that  no  two  horses  eat  the  same 
amount  and  they  are  never  given  more  than  they  will  eat. 
The  average  amount  fed  will  be  stated  in  each  case  below. 

Aged  stallions,  used  for  breeding  purposes,  receive  during 
the  winter  season  about  24  pounds  of  silage  per  day.  This 
is  divided  into  three  feeds,  morning,  noon  and  night.  Besides 
this  they  are  fed  long  hay  and  grain.  During  the  breeding 
season  they  do  not  get  any  silage,  as  it  has  been  found  that 
if  it  is  fed  at  that  time  there  is  difficulty  in  getting  mares  in 
foal  and  in  raising  a  large  percentage  of  colts.  The  reason  for 
this  is  not  known. 

Two-year  old  stallions  receive  about  20  pounds  of  silage 
per  day  with  their  other  feed.  Yearling  stallions  receive  about 
15  pounds,  with  grain  and  hay.  Mares  with  foals  receive  about 
20  pounds,  and  also  grain  and  hay  while  the  colts  are  sucking. 
This  is  reduced  to  about  15  pounds,  fed  twice  a  day  in  the 
stable,  after  the  colts  are  weaned. 

Mares  and  geldings,  from  one  year  up,  run  in  a  herd 
together.  They  are  fed  morning  and  night  about  15  pounds 
per  day.  During  the  day,  if  weather  permits,  they  are  turned 
out  in  a  pasture  and  fed  hay  upon  the  ground. 

Colts,  soon  after  they  have  learned  to  eat  grain,  are  fed 
a  little  silage  in  the  box  stalls  with  their  mothers.  For  this 
purpose  small  feed  boxes  are  put  in  each  stall  near  the 
mangers,  where  the  mares  eat.  After  being  weaned  the  colts 
are  fed  about  7  pounds  of  silage  a  day  with  the  grain.  Alfalfa 
hay  also  is  put  in  a  rack  in  the  yard,  in  which  the  colts  are 
turned  out  each  day,  and  they  eat  as  much  of  this  as  they 
care  for. 

The  ration  fed  is  higher  than  a  balanced  ration.  There 
has  never  been  any  sickness  resulting  from  the  use  of  silage. 
The  animals  always  come  through  the  winter  in  good  breeding 
condition  and  in  proper  shape  to  be  turned  on  to  pasture  in 
the  spring. 

Secret  of  Fattening  Drafters. 

The  business  of  buying  young  draft  horses  and  feeding 
them  off  for  the  market  has  been  profitably  followed  by  many 
farmers  during  the  past  ten  years.  The  work  requires  skill 
and  experience  and  is  thus  described  by  Prof.  W.  J. 
Kennedy,  of  the  Iowa  Agricultural  Experiment  Station:  "In 
one  of  the  large  horse-feeding  establishments  of  the  West 
the  following  method  is  practised:  The  horses  are  purchased, 
their  teeth  are  floated  and  they  are  all  put  in  the 
barn  and  their  feed  increased  gradually,  as  great  care 
must   be    taken    for   a    few    dav-3    to    avoid    colic.      It    seems 


IO  HORSE   SECRETS 

preferable  to  feed  them  grain  about  five  times  per  day,  due  to 
the  fact  that  as  the  stomach  of  the  horse  is  proportionately 
smaller  than  the  stomach  of  a  cow,  he  needs  his  feed  in  smaller 
quantities  and  more  often.  The  hay  is  placed  in  racks  so 
that  access  may  be  had  to  it  at  all  times.  The  horses  are  given 
all  the  water  they  will  drink  twice  a  day.  The  daily  practise 
is  as  follows :  Corn  is  given  at  5  o'clock  in  the  morning;  water 
at  7;  the  hay  racks  are  filled  at  9  o'clock,  when  the  horses  are 
also  given  oats  and  bran,  the  proportion  being  two-thirds 
bran  and  one-third  oats.  At  12  o'clock  they  are  fed  corn 
again;  at  3  in  the  afternoon  oats  and  bran  are  given  and  the 
hay  racks  are  refilled ;  at  4  they  are  given  a  second  watering,  and 
at  6  the  final  feed  of  corn  is  given.  The  proportion  for  each 
horse  when  upon  full  feed  is  as  follows:  Corn  from  10  to  14 
ears  to  each  feed ;  oats  and  bran,  about  3  quarts  per  feed,  mak- 
ing in  all  from  30  to  40  ears  of  corn  and  6  quarts  of  oats  and 
bran  per  horse  per  day.  The  horses  are  not  given  any  exercise 
from  the  time  they  are  put  in  the  barn  until  a  few  days  before 
they  are  to  be  shipped.  As  a  substitute  for  exercise,  and  in 
order  to  keep  the  blood  in  good  order,  thus  preventing  stocked 
legs,  Glauber's  salt  is  used. 

In  some  instances  horses  fed  in  this  manner  have  made  a 
gain  of  5^2  pounds  a  day  for  a  period  of  50  to  100  days.  One 
horse  gained  550  pounds  in  100  days.  In  many  instances  from 
12  to  20  horses  have  made  an  average  daily  gain  of  3  1-3  pounds 
per  day  each  for  a  period  of  90  days. 


Secret  of  Feeding  Molasses. 

The  feeding  of  black  strap  molasses  came  into  vogue 
when  the  United  States  artillery  and  cavalry  horses  in  Porto 
Rico  required  "plumping  up."  By  free  use  of  this  readily 
assimilated  fattening  food  mixed  with  cut  hay  or  grass,  horses 
that  had  run  down  to  skin  and  bone  and  become  covered 
with  harness  sores  quickly  gained  flesh  and  acquired  sleek, 
polished,  sound  hides  so  that  their  former  drivers  or  riders 
failed  to  recognize  them.  Although  large  quantities  of  molasses 
were  fed  to  each  horse  daily,  neither  colic  nor  scouring  was 
caused. 

Dr.  W.  H.  Dalrymple,  veterinarian  of  the  Louisiana 
Experiment  Station,  says  that  the  amount  of  molasses  fed 
to  the  large  sugar-mules  of  42  plantations  in  his  state  is  from 
8  to  12  pounds  per  head  per  diem,  or  an  average  of  about  9.5 
pounds ;  a  gallon  of  black  strap  molasses  weighing  12  pounds. 
He  advises  that  less  than  this  should  be  given  at  first  and 
gradually  increased  as  the  animals  get  used  to  it,  though  he 
adds :    "We  have  not  experienced  any  ill  effects  from  feeding 


HORSE  SECRETS  II 

the  amounts  alluded  to."  In  fact,  as  high  as  21  pounds  per 
day  has  been  fed  in  Louisiana  without  any  untoward  results. 
The  molasses  is  mixed  with  concentrates  and  cut  hay. 

Here  is  a  recommended  formula  for  molasses  feeding  on 
a  lesser  scale  to  working  draft  horses: 

Molasses,  1  quart;  water,  3  quarts;  cut  hay,  5  pounds; 
corn-meal,  4  quarts ;  coarse  bran,  2  pints.  Feed  morning  and 
night.  Give  usual  quantity  of  oats  at  noon,  and  add  long 
hay  at  night. 

The  Department  of  Agriculture,  in  Farmer's  Bulletin  No. 
107,  states  that  molasses  is  an  excellent  food  for  horses  and 
cattle.  It  produces  energy,  maintains  the  vital  heat,  stimulates 
the  appetite  and  increases  the  digestibility  of  the  other  con- 
stituents of  the  ration.  That  cane  molasses  is  a  satisfactory 
substitute  for  starchy  foods,  being  readily  digested  and 
transformed  into  work:  that  5  quarts  of  molasses  can  be 
given  daily  to  a  1,270  pound  horse  with  advantage  to  its 
health  and  the  efficiency  of  its  work. 


^IfffirfflfftT 


12  HORSE   SECRETS 


Secrets  of  Various  Vices. 


Secret  of  Stopping  Halter  Pulling. 

There  are  many  different  ways  of  managing  halter  pullers 
and  of  these  the  following  methods  seem  most  effective: 

Take  a  strong  but  thin  rope  about  20  feet  long.  Put  the 
middle  of  it  under  the  horse's  tail  like  a  crupper.  Bring  the 
two  ends  forward  along  the  back,  knotting  them  together  at 
the  loins  and  withers.  Then  pass  one  on  each  side  of  the  neck, 
through  the  ring  of  the  halter  and  tie  to  the  manger  along 
with  the  halter  shank. 

Pass  the  end  of  tie  rope  or  halter  over  the  manger 
and  tie  it  to  one  fore  foot,  so  that  the  pull  is  equal  on  the 
head  and  foot.     This  is  simple,  safe  and  efficient. 

Put  a  good  strong  halter  on  the  horse  with  a  rope  that 
he  cannot  break ;  then  put  him  either  on  a  plank  floor  that  is 
about  4  inches  higher  behind  than  in  front,  or  on  a  hard 
earth  floor  of  the  same  slope.  Have  the  floor  very  smooth, 
and  wet  it  a  little  to  make  it  slippery,  if  he  is  a  bad  one,  and 
pad  the  sides  of  the  stall  with  old  sacks  or  blankets,  tying  them 
on  with  binder  twine.  As  soon  as  the  horse  finds  that  he 
cannot  keep  his  feet  he  will  give  up  pulling. 

Use  a  good  halter  and  10  or  12  feet  of  strong  rope  or 
strap.  Tie  one  end  of  the  rope  around  the  pastern  of  a  front 
foot  and  pass  the  other  end  through  the  halter  ring  and  fasten 
to  a  stout  post  or  manger  and  let  the  horse  pull.  This  will 
cure  an  ordinary  case.  If  it  does  not  cure  a  bad  one,  tie  the 
rope  to  a  hind  leg,  passing  it  through  the  halter  ring  and 
between  the  fore  legs  to  the  hind  pastern. 

Tie  a  rope  around  the  hind  leg  at  the  pastern  and  pass 
the  rope  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  body;  run  it  around  the 
neck  where  the  collar  rests  and  tie  the  foot  up  so  that  it  will 
not  touch  the  floor.  Put  a  good  halter  on  the  horse  and  he 
will  not  pull  very  hard. 

Mr.  J.  S.  Teesdale,  of  Multnomah  County,  Oregon, 
contributed  the  following  amusing  account  of  the  curing  of 
a  halter  puller  to  the  Breeders'  Gazette:  "I  owned  a  horse 
that  pulled  back  every  time  he  was  tied  up  in  or  out  of  his 
stable.  I  got  very  tired  of  it.  I  took  him  one  day  to  a  wharf 
over  a  river.     There  was,  as  is  usual,  a  wall  on  the  dock  a 


HORSE   SECRETS  13 

few  feet  from  its  edge.  I  led  him  on  so  that  his  face  was 
near  the  wall  and  his  tail  toward  the  water;  and  I  stood  him 
with  his  right  side  close  up  to  a  partition  that  ran  from  the 
wall  to  the  edge  of  the  wharf.  I  stood  with  my  body  close 
to  his  left  eye,  hiding  the  river  from  his  view,  so  that  he  could 
not  see  the  water  from  either  side.  The  river  was  a  very 
silent  one.  I  held  him  in  that  position  almost  an  hour  until 
I  thought  he  had  forgotten  the  river  entirely,  then  I  tied 
him  to  a  ring  in  the  wall,  holding  a  sharp  knife  in  my  teeth 
as  I  did  so.  As  soon  as  I  had  tied  him  he  hung  back  as 
badly  as  ever.  I  cut  the  rope.  He  turned  a  back  somersault 
and  dropped  10  feet  into  the  river.  When  he  came  to  the 
surface  and  recovered  from  his  daze,  he  swam  down  stream 
to  the  end  of  the  dock  and  landed.  He  never  hung  back  again 
so  far  as  I  know,  although  he  was  tied  a  thousand  times." 


Secret  of  Preventing  Mules  from  Kicking. 

Mr.  F.  M.  Walker,  of  Vernon  County,  Missouri,  contrib- 
uted the  following  to  the  columns  of  the  Breeders'  Gazette: 
"Take  two  straps  il/2  inches  wide  with  a  good  ring;  have  the 
straps  long  enough  to  buckle  around  the  hind  legs,  one  above 
the  hock  and  one  below.  First  buckle  the  ring  in  both  straps ; 
then  take  a  stout  rope,  put  a  ring  in  the  rope,  and  tie  it 
around  the  breast  of  the  collar  so  that  the  double  will  come 
back  behind  the  belly-band  and  make  the  ring  stay.  Now 
take  another  piece  of  stout  rope,  tie  in  the  ring  on  the  hind  leg, 
bring  it  up  through  ring  at  the  belly-band  and  back  to  the 
other  ring  on  the  hind  leg.  Do  not  leave  any  slack  for  the 
horse  or  mule  to  get  his  feet  over.  An  animal  can  walk  or 
trot  in  this  rigging,  but  he  cannot  kick.  I  have  broken  several 
mules  in  this  way." 

Tying  a  Mare  With  a  Foal. 

To  tie  a  mare  so  that  her  foal  will  not  get  hung  in  the 
halter  strap,  use  a  ring  in  the  manger  instead  of  a  hole.  Thirty 
inches  is  plenty  long  enough  for  the  stale.  Put  a  weight  on 
end  of  the  stale — an  old  bar  shoe  will  do  all  right.  All  good 
horses  in  Great  Britain  are  tied  this  way,  except  that  the  chain 
is  used. 

Secret  of  Handling  a  Balky  Horse. 

A  tired,  balky  horse  .is  less  apt  to  balk  than  one  fresh 
from  the  stable,  and  such  horses  are  oftentimes  kept  in  harness 


14  HORSE   SECRETS 

right  up  to  the  time  of  sale.  This  is  a  "David  Harum"  trick 
and  well  wortn  remembering.  Also,  when  a  horse  balks,  be 
careful  to  examine  his  shoulders.  Soreness  of  the  skin  may- 
be the  cause.  It  is  a  trick  of  the  "gyps"  secretly  to  bathe  the 
shoulders  of  a  horse  with  an  irritating  solution  which  in  12 
hours  or  less  makes  the  animal  refuse  to  pull  in  harness.  They 
do  this  with  horses  on  which  they  purpose  making  a  bid  the 
following  day  in  the  hope  that  when  the  victim  balks  the 
owner  will  become  disgusted  and  discount  the  price.  Some 
horses  balk  when  worked  in  single  harness  but  go  all  right 
when  hitched  double.  Chloroform  is  sometimes  used  to  make 
a  balky  horse  stupid,  so  that  he  will  forget  to  balk. 

Kindness,  petting,  coaxing  with  a  lump  of  sugar,  carrot, 
apple  or  other  dainty  sometimes  succeeds  with  a  balky  horse 
when  harsh  measures  fail.  Cruel  procedures  should  be  dis- 
countenanced and  punished  and  among  these  the  worst  trick, 
perhaps,  is  to  start  a  fire  of  paper,  straw  or  brush  under  the 
balker.  Sometimes  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  distract  the 
animal's  attention  by  pounding  lightly  with  a  stone  on  the 
shoe  of  a  fore  foot,  by  tying  a  cord  around  the  leg  under  the 
knee,  or  by  holding  up  one  foot  for  a  few  minutes. 

When  a  horse  balks,  one  way  of  curing  him  is  to  remove 
the  harness,  put  on  a  halter,  pull  his  head  around  to  his  side 
and  tie  the  halter  rope  in  a  slip-knot  to  a  strand  or  two  of  the 
tail  hair,  so  as  to  keep  the  head  well  toward  the  tail.  Then 
he  is  forced  to  walk  around  in  a  circle  until  he  staggers  and 
is  ready  to  drop,  when  the  rope  may  be  loosed  and  the  horse 
will  be  likely  to  behave  and  remember  the  lesson  for  some  time. 

Some  horses  balk  by  lying  down  and  refusing  to  budge. 
If  the  four  feet  of  such  a  sulker  are  "hog-tied"  together  and  he 
is  abandoned  and  allowed  to  remain  tied  for  an  hour  or  two, 
he  will  usually  be  thankful  to  get  up  and  go  on  when  set 
at  liberty. 

One  owner  broke  a  balker  by  working  him  on  a  mower 
for  a  few  days  with  his  tail  tied  to  the  singletree  tight  enough 
to  take  part  of  the  strain.  After  that  he  would  pull  by  the 
tugs  without  having  his  tail  tied. 

The  "guy  rope"  plan  is  sometimes  effective.  A  small  rope 
is  tied  around  the  horse's  neck  and  a  half  hitch  taken  with 
it  on  his  lower  jaw.  A  husky  man  then  pulls  steadily  upon 
the  rope  and  the  horse  will  usually  start  forward  with  a  lunge. 
If  not  a  confirmed  old  balker  he  may  give  up  the  standing 
habit  if  treated  in  this  way  a  few  times. 

Light,  rapid  switching  across  the  nose  with  a  light  whip 
sometimes  starts  a  balker,  but  severe  whipping  has  an  opposite 
effect. 

The  writer  once  was  called  to  see  a  draft  work-mare 
that  was  "down"  in  an  Irish  teamster's  yard  and  refused  to 


HORSE   SECRETS  15 

get  up.  The  poor  brute  was  surrounded  with  whips  and  sticks 
that  had  been  broken  over  her  back,  and  her  body  was  covered 
with  welts  from  the  whipping.  The  neighbors  thronged 
around  to  see  what  would  happen  when  the  "Doctor"  tried 
his  hand  at  a  job  which  had  baffled  their  attempts.  Examina- 
tion of  the  pulse  showed  a  normal  condition  and  the  mem- 
branes of  the  eyes  gave  no  indication  of  sickness.  After  the 
mare's  head  and  neck  had  been  patted  and  stroked  for  a  few 
minutes,  and  she  had  been  spoken  to  kindly  and  gently,  she 
got  up  at  once  when  the  halter  was  pulled  upon  and  the  word 
of  command  given.  Then  she  followed  the  veterinarian  about 
the  yard  like  a  dog,  recognizing  him  as  her  only  friend,  and 
ever  since  that  teamster  has  said,  "Sure  that  mon  has  the 
power  iv  healin'  in  his  hands!"  Whereas,  the  abused  mare 
only  needed  and  wanted  a  little  kindness  and  coaxing. 

Here  is  a  cure  for  balking  recommended  by  E.  A.  Gerrard: 
"In  order  to  break  a  balky  horse  it  is  necessary  to  have 
the  appliances,  though  the  first  requirement  is  a  cool  head. 
Next  you  will  want  a  steady  horse  to  hitch  with  the  balky 
one,  together  with  a  strong  hopple  strap,  a  rope  and  a  covered 
swivel  pulley,  and  a  good  harness  and  wagon  with  a  long 
tongue,  though  one  of  ordinary  length  will  do. 

Fasten  your  pulley  on  the  end  of  the  tongue  so  that  it 
will  work  free;  put  the  hopple  on  the  balky  horse's  hind  ankle, 
next  to  the  tongue,  and  tie  the  rope  in  the  hopple  ring.  Now 
run  it  through  the  belly-band,  up  through  the  pulley  and  back 
to  the  end  of  the  doubletree  on  the  side  of  the  balky  horse, 
and  tie  it  fast.  See  that  your  horses  are  standing  even,  making 
the  rope  snug,  so  that  the  horse  can  stand  easy.  Take  off 
your  stay  chains,  sever  the  line  from  the  terrets  on  the  balky 
horse,  get  into  the  wagon,  gather  your  lines  so  that  you  can 
have  control,  keep  cool,  and  wait  half  a  minute ;  then  speak  to 
the  team  and  start  the  steady  horse.  As  he  starts  he  pulls 
his  end  of  the  doubletree  forward  and  draws  on  the  wagon,  the 
other  end  of  the  doubletree  going  back,  pulling  the  rope  through 
the  pulley  and  lifting  the  balky  horse's  foot.  He  tries  to  put 
his  foot  down  and  in  doing  so  he  takes  a  step. 

Say,  'whoa !'  and  stop  your  steady  horse.  Do  not  let  the 
balky  horse  make  more  than  one  step.  Now  sit  still  for  half 
a  minute,  then  start  again,  stopping  as  soon  as  the  first  step 
is  made,  by  the  same  process.  Sit  still  for  another  half  minute, 
then  repeat.  Each  time  you  will  have  taught  your  horse  that 
when  you  told  him  to  go  he  had  to  step. 

Now  if  you  are  a  horseman  get  down,  go  to  your  horse's 
head,  pat  his  neck,  tell  him  he  is  doing  well  and  that  he  will 
be  the  best  pulling  horse  on  the  place.  Then  try  him  again. 
If  he  is  very  anxious  to  go  at  the  word,  let  him  make  six  or 
eight  steps,  then  stop  and  sit  quiet  for  half  a  minute.     Gradu- 


l6  HORSE   SECRETS 

ally  increase  the  distance  you  allow  them  to  go  each  time,  not 
forgetting  to  stop  long  enough  to  allay  any  excitement  before 
starting  again.  When  you  have  driven  half  a  mile  be  sure 
you  are  back  at  the  stable,  take  your  horse  out,  have  a  bottle 
of  strong  borax  water  at  hand  and  bathe  his  ankle  for  five 
minutes  where  the  hopple  rubbed  it. 

On  the  next  day  hitch  up  with  the  balker  on  the  other 
side  of  the  tongue.  With  most  balky  horses  two  lessons 
will  prove  enough ;  often  one  will  answer.  But  if  the  horse 
is  old  he  may  forget  in  two  or  three  weeks,  if  rested  much, 
so  you  will  need  to  keep  your  appliances  ready  and  put  them 
on  at  the  first  sign  of  balking. 

There  is  little  danger  of  a  horse  forgetting  if  he  is  worked 
with  the  same  mate  and  driver ;  therefore  if  you  want  a  perfect 
job  you  will  do  well  to  change  the  driver  and  the  mate  while 
the  lesson  is  fresh." 

Mr.  F.  H.  Osburn,  of  Benton  County,  Indiana,  is  the 
author  of  the  following  method  of  handling  a  balky  mare : 

"I  had  a  good  true  horse  to  put  beside  this  mare,  one 
which  I  knew  could  pull  two  such  as  she.  Then  instead  of 
putting  a  stay  chain  to  my  true  horse  I  put  on  what  I  call  a 
stay  rope,  looping  it  around  the  balky  mare's  tail,  drawing 
it  up  short  and  tying  it  to  the  other  horse's  hame  ring.  When- 
ever I  spoke  to  my  true  puller  something  else  had  to  come 
although  the  balky  mare  was  not  very  hasty  to  respond  for 
the  first  few  lessons.  We  now  have  her  convinced  and  I 
drive  her  single,  ride  her  when  driving  cattle,  can  use  the 
cattle  whip  over  her,  and  she  pays  no  attention  to  it.  At 
times  she  runs  idle  for  a  week  or  ten  days,  but  she  never  gives 
me  a  minute's  bother  when  I  use  her  again." 


Secret  of  Curing  a  Stall    Kicker. 

Various  methods  have  been  proposed  from  time  to  time 
for  stopping  a  horse  from  kicking  in  the  stall.  Here  are 
several  gleaned  from  various  sources: 

Strap  a  piece  of  chain,  about  18  inches  to  2  feet  in  length, 
to  the  horse's  pastern  so  that  it  will  fly  back  and  hit  him 
each  time  he  kicks.     A  trace  or  stay  chain  will  do. 

Pad  the  sides  of  the  stall  thickly  with  hay  or  straw  kept 
in  place  by  sacking.  When  the  horse  kicks  at  this  and  does 
not  hear  the  sound  of  his  foot  striking  the  boards,  he  will  be 
scared  and  quit  kicking. 

Buckle  a  leather  surcingle  around  the  horse's  body  back 
of  the  fore  legs  and  to  it  fasten  a  small  double  pulley  placed 
under  the  belly.  Now  place  straps  with  buckles  on  them  on 
each  of  his  legs  below  the  fetlock  joint,  having  a  ring  in  each 


HORSE   SECRETS  17 

strap.  Take  l/2  inch  rope,  tie  to  the  ring  on  one  front  foot, 
run  it  up  through  the  pulley,  back  to  the  hind  foot  on  the 
opposite  side  and  tie,  then  do  the  same  with  the  opposite  feet. 
Leave  the  rope  long  enough  for  the  animal  to  step.  When 
an  attempt  is  made  to  kick,  the  pulley  raises  the  front  feet. 
Use  this  in  the  stable  until  the  kicking  habit  is  cured. 

To  cure  a  barn  kicker  pack  an  ordinary  grain  bag  tight 
with  hay  or  straw  and  suspend  it  from  top  of  the  stall  by  a 
rope  or  strap,  so  that  it  will  swing  free  from  the  side  of  the 
stall  and  near  the  place  the  horse  strikes  the  boards  when  he 
kicks.  When  kicked  the  bag  will  swing  back  and  hit  the  horse 
on  its  return  trip,  and  he  will  climb  into  the  hay  mow,  if  he 
can.    If  the  horse  kicks  with  both  feet,  hang  a  bag  on  each  side. 

Tie  the  kicking  horse  between  swinging  partitions 
whether  in  a  single  or  box  stall.  The  partition  kicks  back 
each  time  it  is  kicked  by  the  horse. 

An  "Old  Timer"  writing  in  the  Breeders'  Gazette,  sug- 
gests the  following  plan  for  a  pregnant  mare  that  is  a  bad 
kicker: 

"Have  a  collar  made  of  V/2  inch  first-class  heavy  harness 
leather,  long  enough  to  go  around  the  mare's  neck  at  the 
point  where  the  collar  fits,  with  1^4  inch  ring  at  the  breast, 
then  get  a  strap  \y2  inches  wide,  the  full  length  of  a  side  of 
harness  leather,  cut  tapering  to  I  inch  or  less  at  the  tip  of 
the  light  end,  with  1^4  i"cn  ring  in  the  other.  Then  get  a 
2y2  inch  strap  just  long  enough  to  go  around  the  pastern  of 
the  hind  foot  with  ^4  inch  ring  in  each  end.  Have  the  edges 
of  this  strap  slightly  champered.  Slip  the  collar  on  the  mare's 
neck,  put  the  short  strap  around  the  pastern  of  the  left  hind 
foot,  the  thin  long  strap  through  the  rings  on  the  pastern, 
then  through  the  ring  on  the  end  of  the  long  strap,  and  slip 
up  snug  and  tight ;  next,  run  the  strap  between  the  fore  legs 
and  through  the  ring  in  the  collar  on  the  neck.  Now  draw 
it  up  snug  when  she  is  standing  in  her  natural  position  and 
secure  it  with  a  slip-knot  so  that  it  can  be  easily  removed 
when  necessary. 

There  will  be  no  excitement  about  this,  and  no  punish- 
ment. It  does  not  interfere  with  the  mare's  lying  down  or 
getting  up ;  all  it  will  do  for  her  will  be  to  prevent  her  from 
kicking,  simply  because  she  cannot,  and  she  will  soon  learn 
to  live  in  peace  with  her  stable  mates.  We  have  used  this 
for  many  years  without  a  failure,  and  we  would  he  pleased 
to  have  all  humane  horsemen  use  it  in  preference  to  a  long 
chain  or  heavy  swinging  block  or  padded  stall." 


18  HORSE   SECRETS 


Secret  Tricks  in  Horse  Trading'. 


Secret  of  Shutting  a  Heaver. 

Heaves  or  broken  wind  more  commonly  perhaps  than  any- 
other  unsoundness,  offers  opportunity  and  necessity  for 
skilful  handling  by  the  trickster  in  horse  dealing.  There  are 
numerous  plans  for  the  temporary  relief  of  this  disease,  and 
so  skilfully  is  the  work  done  that  often  it  is  not  suspected 
or  discovered  under  twenty-four  hours  following  a  purchase. 
The  "patient"  receives  no  bulky  food  and  all  feed  is  wetted. 
Sometimes  ammonia  water  is  used  in  sprinkling  the  hay,  and  the 
observant  buyer  may  detect  this  by  the  odor.  Lime  water  or 
a  solution  of  baking  soda  also  is  frequently  used.  An 
examination  of  the  bit  may  show  that  it  has  been  "medicated" ; 
and  allowing  the  horse  to  drink  all  the  water  he  wants  will  be 
likely  to  disclose  the  heaves  when  he  is  made  to  gallop  or  pull 
a  load.  A  pint  of  whiskey  well  diluted  with  water  given  as 
a  drench  also  will  be  likely  quickly  to  offset  the  effect  of  drugs. 

It  is  not  the  province  of  this  book  to  furnish  formulae  of 
the  mixtures  or  medicines  used  to  "dope"  or  "shut"  heavey 
horses,  but  rather  to  put  the  buyer  on  his  guard  so  that  fore- 
warned he  may  be  forearmed.  Therefore,  the  following 
"dopes"  employed  for  dishonest  purposes  are  mentioned : 

Arsenic,  stramonium,  lobelia,  indigo,  chloral  hydrate, 
opium,  melted  lard,  lead  shot,  raw  eggs,  milk,  fresh  ox  blood, 
vinegar,  kerosene,  slaked  lime  in  drinking  water,  etc.,  and  in 
olden  days  a  fistulous  opening  was  made  in  connection  with 
the  rectum  for  the  free  and  silent  passage  of  gas. 

If  the  buyer  is  allowed  twenty-four  hours  in  which  to 
reject  a  horse,  heaves,  if  present,  will  usually  show  up  in  that 
time  if  the  horse  is  given  an  abundance  of  drinking  water  and 
bulky  food  and  then  is  put  to  work. 


Secret  of  Plugging  a  Roarer. 

It  is  well  to  examine  the  horse's  nostrils  when  making  a 
purchase,  otherwise  he  may  sneeze  out  one  or  more  sponges 
on  arriving  at  his  new  home.     The  sponges  are  inserted  to 


HORSE   SECRETS  IO. 

prevent  a  "roarer"  from  making  a  noise  when  breathing.  This 
is  also  accomplished  by  fastening  a  spring  truss  to  the  nose 
band  of  the  bridle  in  such  a  way  that  it  causes  pressure  upon 
the  false  nostrils  and  so  lessens  the  intake  of  air  when  the 
horse  is  in  motion. 

Sponges  even  of  fine  quality  clog  with  mucus  if  left  in 
place  too  long.  Dealers  tie  fine  cords  to  the  sponges  and 
by  this  means  pull  them  out  of  the  nostrils  as  soon  as  the 
horse  is  sold.  Another  plan  is  to  cut  off  the  ends  of  a  lemon, 
squeeze  it  dry  and  then  insert  it  in  the  nostril.  It  is  left  there 
with  impunity  as  it  will  soon  dry  out,  shrivel  and  be  sneezed 
out  of  the  nostril. 

Another  trick  is  to  pack  the  horse's  sheath  with  oakum 
to  prevent  unpleasant  noises  when  he  is  trotting;  and  the 
vagina  of  a  lacerated  (gill  flirt)  mare  may  be  similarly  treated 
for  a  like  reason.  Laceration  of  the  perineum,  an  accident 
occurring  at  parturition,  is  usually  incurable,  hence  the  impor- 
tance of  making  a  careful  examination  when  buying  a  mare. 


Diamond  Cut  Diamond. 

It  is  not  always  at  the  time  of  making  a  sale  that  the 
"gyp"  practises  sharp  tricks.  When  occasion  offers  he  has 
been  known  purposely  to  depreciate  the  value  of  a  horse  he 
wishes  to  buy.  If  he  can  make  it  appear  that  the  horse  is 
lame,  sick,  broken-winded,  weak  eyed  or  balky  he  may  acquire 
him  at  a  discount,  and  he  has  secret  methods  of  accomplish- 
ing his  dishonest  ends.  A  fine  wire  or  cord  tied  around  the 
pastern  soon  causes  symptoms  simulating  those  of  founder; 
or  the  horse  limps  painfully  after  a  horse-hair  has  by  means 
of  a  needle  been  passed  through  a  certain  part  of  his  leg,  or 
when  a  small  nail  has  been  driven  into  the  foot  or  a  gravel 
or  bean  put  under  the  shoe.  A  horse  will  stop  eating  and  so 
appear  sick  when  tallow  has  been  smeared  upon  the  roof  of 
the  mouth  and  inner  side  of  the  upper  incisor  teeth ;  or  refuse 
to  pull  when  his  shoulders  and  breast  have  been  bathed  with 
an  irritating  solution  of  corrosive  sublimate,  tincture  of 
cantharides,  or  tartar  emetic ;  or  seem  to  have  glanders  when 
fresh  butter  has  been  melted  and  poured  in  his  ears ;  or 
afflicted  with  eye  disease  when  whole  flaxseed  has  been 
chewed  and  rubbed  on  the  eyes ;  or  he  can  be  made  fractious 
by  an  application  of  a  caustic  fluid. 

The  owner  should  make  a  careful  search  for  such 
causes  of  unsoundness  should  his  horse  mysteriously  go 
wrong  at  the  time  when  a  trade  is  pending,  and  on  recogniz- 
ing the  possibility  of  a  trick  it  is  better  to  call  the  deal  off 
than  to  discount  the  price. 


20  HORSE   SECRETS 

Making  a  Horse  Act  Mean. 

When  a  "gyp"  dealer  learns  that  a  farmer  is  having 
difficulty  in  training  a  high-strung  young  horse,  he  tries  to 
buy  him  at  a  discount,  and  unless  closely  watched  will  try 
to  make  the  horse  act  mean  when  examined.  He  asks  the 
owner  to  harness  or  ride  the  horse,  and  diverting  his  attention 
for  a  moment,  applies  an  irritating  substance  to  the  heels, 
or  some  other  part  of  the  animal,  causing  him  to  kick,  plunge 
and  attempt  to  run  away.  He  calls  his  secret  dope  "dog  water," 
"hop-up,"  "soup"  or  "fog,"  and  its  effect  is  intended  so  to 
disgust  the  horse  owner  that  he  will  be  glad  to  sell  the  frac- 
tious beast  at  a  bargain. 

Often,  should  a  buyer  visit  a  scalper's  stable  in  the  city, 
he  will  be  shown  a  fine-looking  horse  and  attractive  harness 
and  wagon.  The  price  asked  for  the  horse  and  outfit  is  a  low 
one,  and  the  stranger  jumps  at  the  chance  to  acquire  the 
property;  but  just  as  the  horse  is  being  hitched  up,  he  begins 
to  kick  or  behave  badly  under  the  influence  of  a  dose  of  "soup." 
The  intending  buyer  immediately  suffers  from  "cold  feet," 
and  is  readily  induced  to  take  an  inferior  horse.  The  fine  horse 
and  outfit  are  thus  used  times  without  number  to  attract 
buyers  and  assist  in  the  sale  of  unattractive,  cheap  horses  at 
profitable  prices. 

Blowing  Air  Under  the  Skin. 

When  the  muscles  of  the  shoulder  have  wasted  away, 
constituting  the  condition  termed  "sweeny,"  air  sometimes  is 
blown  under  the  skin  to  give  the  part  a  plump  condition.  This 
trick  is  easily  detected,  for  when  the  hand  is  passed  over  the 
inflated  part  it  crackles  (crepitates)  showing  the  presence  of  air 
under  the  skin  (emphysema).  The  same  trick  is  practised  to 
make  an  old  horse  appear  younger  than  he  really  is,  the 
hollows  over  the  eyes  being  blown  up  by  means  of  a  hollow 
needle,  quill  or  straw  passed  through  the  skin.  For  low  hip 
and  atrophy  of  the  shoulder  muscles  we  have  also  known 
tricksters  to  inject  a  two  per  cent  solution  of  phenol  under 
the  skin  and  then  thoroughly  massage  the  part. 


Stopping  a  Switcher. 

Apart  from  operating  upon  the  muscles  of  the  tail  to  prevent 
switching,  which  often  is  a  bad  vice  in  mares,  dealers  resort 
to  the  following  trick:  The  tail  is  tied  up  over  the  horse's 
back  as  tightly  as  possible  and  left  in  that  position  over  night. 


HORSE   SECRETS  21 

It  becomes  so  numbed  by  this  treatment  that  the  horse  is 
unable  to  use  it  for  half  a  day  or  so  after  it  is  let  down. 

The  switching  habit  is  also  mechanically  prevented,  when 
the  mare  is  hitched,  by  fastening  a  strand  of  the  hair  or  string 
from  each  side  of  the  tail  to  a  part  of  the  breeching  of  harness. 

Tail  switching  is  less  likely  to  be  noticed  by  the  buyer  if 
the  tail  is  tied  up  or  braided.  Therefore,  it  is  well  to  let  the 
tail  down  for  this  and  other  reasons  before  deciding  to  buy 
the  horse. 

The  Turpentine  and  Gasoline  Tricks. 

Temporarily  to  lessen  or  remedy  the  lameness  of  a  foot- 
sore horse,  turpentine  heated  to  the  boiling  point  is  poured 
into  the  sole  of  the  foot.  It  can  be  held  there  for  five  minutes 
by  binding  a  bandage  around  the  foot  so  that  the  turpentine 
cannot  run  down  over  the  hoof-head.  The  buyer  may  readily 
detect  this  trick,  as  the  odor  of  turpentine  gives  it  away  when 
the  hoof  is  examined. 

It  also  is  alleged  that  the  following  treatment  is  given  for 
muscle  soreness,  caused  by  use  over  hard  stones :  The  night 
before  he  wishes  to  sell  the  horse  affected  in  this  way,  the 
"gyp"  dealer  will  pour  gasoline  over  the  withers,  and  let  it 
flow  down  both  shoulders  and  forearms.  The  gasoline  con- 
tracts the  capillaries  and  larger  blood  vessels  and  diminishes 
the  blood  pressure  and  nerve  sensibility,  thus  allowing  a  nearly 
natural  movement  of  the  muscles.  Of  course  as  soon  as  the 
effect  of  the  gasoline  passes  away  the  soreness  will  return.  If 
gasoline  were  rubbed  on  the  muscles  it  would  probably  result 
in  a  blister. 

Gingering  a  Show  Horse. 

As  a  preparation  for  the  show  ring  contest,  or  before 
exhibiting  a  horse  to  a  prospective  buyer,  it  is  almost  the 
general  practise  to  insert  ginger  root  in  the  animal's  rectum 
that  the  irritation  produced  thereby  may  cause  it  to  carry 
a  high  tail  and  show  spirit  and  action. 

While  this  objectionable  practise  obtains  most  as  regards 
coach  and  carriage  horses,  it  is  also  followed  by  exhibitors 
and  sellers  of  draft  stallions  and  mares,  and  of  recent  years 
has  been  practised  extensively.  Indeed  the  trick  is  becoming 
far  too  common,  and  we  have  even  seen  it  boldly  and  flag- 
rantly practised  in  the  judging  ring  to  the  disgust  of  all  decent 
and  fair-minded  spectators.  Possibly  there  may  be  some 
excuse  for  the  practise  as  a  means  of  setting  a  show  or  sale 


22  HORSE   SECRETS 

horse  "on  edge,"  but  if  allowed  at  all  it  should  at  least  be 
done  in  private  and  be  absolutely  prohibited  as  a  public  act 
in  the  show  ring.  We  sincerely  trust  that  managers  of  horse 
shows  will  take  this  view  of  the  matter;  and  officers  of  the 
humane  societies  should  see  to  it  that  horses  are  not  exces- 
sively tortured  in  this  way.  While  the  grooms  of  some  horse 
exhibitors  use  ginger  in  the  judging  ring,  others  pay  some 
regard  to  the  rules  of  decency  by  backing  the  horses  into 
their  stalls  before  showing  so  that  the  trick  may  be  practised 
unnoticed  by  the  visitors  who  throng  the  aisles  of  the  horse 
barns.  We  have  heard  of  such  a  plan  being  followed  when 
preparing  the  entire  string  of  coach  horses  of  one  owner  for  the 
evening  exhibit  at  a  great  horse  show. 


Unnerving  and  Cocaining. 

Chronic  lameness  is  done  away  with  by  skilful  oblitera- 
tion of  the  large  nerves  which  supply  the  affected  parts  with 
sensation.  The  operation  is  termed  nerving  or  unnerving  in 
common  parlance  and,  properly,  as  neurectomy.  It  consists 
in  cutting  down  upon  the  nerve  and  then  removing  a  portion 
so  that  its  function  is  destroyed  so  far  as  the  portion  below 
the  seat  of  operation  is  concerned.  Unnerving  is  most  often 
done  to  hide  the  lameness  caused  by  navicular  disease  which  is 
incurable:  it  may  also  be  practised  on  account  of  ringbone,  side- 
bone,  founder  or  other  unsoundness  of  the  foot.  After 
unnerving  the  horse  does  not  evince  pain  when  the  parts 
below  the  seat  of  the  operation  are  pinched  or  pricked.  The 
operation  merely  does  away  with  pain  and  lameness.  It  is 
in  no  way  a  cure. 

Cocaine  or  eucaine  solution  injected  by  means  of  a  hypo- 
dermic syringe  upon  the  nerves  at  the  points  where  neurec- 
tomy would  be  performed  will  temporarily  have  an  effect  like 
that  of  the  operation.  Just  after  the  injection  a  swollen  or 
puffed  place  may  be  discovered  at  the  point  where  the 
hypodermic  needle  was  inserted,  and  local  soreness  may  be 
present  after  the  effects  of  the  drug  have  subsided. 


Keep  an  Eye  on  the  Sign-Board. 

Dr.  Hawley  advises  that  when  buying  horses  at  auction 
one  should  watch  the  sign-board,  as  it  may  be  suddenly 
shifted  from  "serviceably  sound"  to  "wind  and  work."  In  such 
a  case  a  horse  slightly  lame  may  be  purchased  with  no  chance 
of  rejection. 


HORSE  SECRETS  2J 

Secret  of  Hiding  a  Spavin. 

It  is  an  old  "gyp"  trick  to  beat  one  hock-joint  with  a 
stick  so  that  it  will  swell  and  acquire  the  same  size  as  the 
hock  unsound  from  spavin.  Caustic  solutions  injected  under 
the  skin  at  the  seat  of  spavin  also  smooth  the  appearance  of 
the  joint. 

If  spavin  is  suspected,  test  for  it  by  picking  up  the  hind 
foot  and  holding  it  toward  the  stifle  for  two  or  three  minutes 
so  as  to  tightly  shut  the  hock-joint.  Then  drop  the  foot  and 
instantly  have  the  horse  trotted.  If  spavin,  apparent  or  hidden 
(occult),  is  present  the  horse  will  hop  off  on  three  legs,  or  go 
much  lamer  than  before. 


Artificially  Induced  Knee  Action. 

True  knee  action  is  an  inborn  trait  in  certain  horses, 
such  as  those  of  the  English  hackney  breed,  and  some  families 
of  American  trotters  ;  but  in  many  high-stepping  horses,  sold  on 
the  market,  such  action  is  unnatural,  and  has  been  acquired.  The 
true  knee  actor  flexes  his  hocks  about  as  freely  as  he  does  his 
knees.  This  is  the  test:  Watch  a  fashionable,  high-going 
coacher,  and  if  the  action  is  not  well  balanced,  and  if  the  hind 
legs  are  imperfectly  flexed,  and  seem  to  have  difficulty  in 
"keeping  up  with  the  procession,"  depend  upon  it  that  the 
horse  has  been  trained  to  go  as  he  does  and  easily  may  forget 
his  lessons  on  leaving  school. 

The  "gyp"  trick  is  to  wet  the  hoof  heads  with  turpentine, 
which  sets  up  intense  irritation  and  induces  knee  action.  This 
is  readily  discovered  by  remembering  to  run  the  hands  over 
the  coronets  when  examining  the  horse,  then  noting  if  they 
smell  of  any  drug. 

The  horse  trainer,  on  the  other  hand,  develops  high  knee 
action  by  putting  on  heavy  shoes,  the  toes  being  left  long; 
by  trotting  and  galloping  the  horse  in  plowed  land,  deep  snow, 
or  a  deep  bed  of  straw.  He  also  frequently  taps  the  legs 
back  of  the  knees  with  a  whip  or  light  stick  as  the  horse  takes 
daily  walking  exercise.  Soon  the  animal  learns  the  trick  of 
high  stepping,  and  thus  is  ready  to  match  with  one  of  like 
kind  and  gait,  for  sale  at  a  high  figure  to  some  rich  man  in 
the  city. 

A  coach  horse  with  extraordinary  high  knee  action  was 
sold  by  a  dealer  to  a  city  man  for  $400.  In  a  few  days  the 
buyer  returned  the  horse  saying,  "Sell  him  over  again;  you 
put  him  on  me,  now  stick  some  one  else  with  him."  This 
horse  had  stringhalt  in  both  fore  legs  which  caused  him  to 
go  high. 


24  HORSE    SBCRETS 

In  buying  a  coach  or  hackney  stallion  or  mare  for  breeding 
purposes,  see  to  it  that  the  high  action  is  natural  and  not 
acquired  or  due  to  chorea,  else  the  tendency  to  step  high  will 
not  be  transmitted  to  the  progeny. 

The  Artificial  Tail  Trick. 

Where  a  horse  is  bought  without  careful  examination  of 
the  tail,  it  may  transpire  when  too  late  for  redress  that  the 
switching  appendage  has  been  joined  on.  We  remember 
examining  a  fine,  thoroughbred  running  horse  that  was  to  be 
used  for  saddle  purposes.  Everything  passed  scrutiny  until 
we  came  to  the  tail,  which  was  that  of  some  other  horse, 
nicely  held  in  place  by  clamps.  When  it  was  removed  it  was 
found  that  the  horse  under  examination  possessed  a  mere 
vestigial  stump  of  a  tail — a  regular  shaving  brush  affair — and 
on  that  account  the  deal,  like  the  tail,  was  all  off. 

Draft  and  work  horses  are  often  offered  with  the  tail 
braided  and  tied  up.  Where  this  is  the  case,  the  intending 
buyer  should  let  the  tail  down  and  then  he  may  find  that  a 
big  foreign  switch  has  been  braided  in  with  the  scant  supply 
of  natural  hair. 

The  critical  examination  of  the  tail  will  also  save  the 
prospective  purchaser  from  acquiring  an  animal  afflicted  with 
pigment  tumors  (see  page  48),  or  one  that  is  about  to  lose 
a  portion  of  the  tail  by  gangrene,  due  to  keeping  a  cord  too 
tightly  and  too  long  around  the  part  when  tied  up  in  muddy 
weather,  or  while  exposed  for  sale. 

Keeping  a  Horse  "In  the  Air." 

The  dealer  tries  to  keep  a  horse  "in  the  air"  as  much  as 
possible  when  showing  him  to  a  prospective  buyer,  but  the 
latter  should  be  sure  to  examine  the  horse  when  he  is  "stand- 
ing at  ease."  The  object  of  keeping  the  horse  rattled  by 
cracking  whips,  shaking  barn  door  latches,  rattling  a  whip 
handle  inside  of  a  derby  hat,  whooping,  yelling,  and  chasing 
behind  him,  is  to  make  him  appear  spirited,  or  to  hide  some 
lameness.  Often  the  horse  so  treated  has  a  spavin,  the  laming 
effects  of  which  disappear  with  exercise,  and  this  also  is  true 
if  the  horse  has  navicular  disease  or  chorea. 

This  absurd  treatment  of  the  horse  is  customary  in  the 
selling  of  a  heavy  draft  stallion  that  has  been  so  fattened, 
pampered  and  drugged  that  he  is  practically  asleep  half  the 
time,  and  has  to  be  waked  up  by  strenuous  means  to  give  him 
an  appearance  of  life.  A  naturally  acute  and  wide-awake 
horse  needs  little  urging. 


HORSE   SECRETS  25 

The  Loose  Shoe  Trick. 

When  a  horse  is  a  poor  mover,  but  stylish  and  likely  to 
be  a  prize  winner  in  the  show  ring,  the  owner  tries  to  avoid 
putting  him  through  his  paces  before  the  judges.  A  shoe 
is  loosely  tacked  on,  so  that  when  the  horse  is  trotted  it 
comes  off,  and  the  owner  then  blames  imperfection  of  motion 
to  the  loss  of  the  shoe. 

We  remember  a  case  in  the  judging  ring  where  a  stallion 
with  notoriously  poor,  flat,  brittle  hoofs  was  being  trotted 
out  for  inspection  by  the  awarding  committee.  At  the  first 
trot  out,  off  flew  the  shoe,  carrying  with  it  a  goodly  portion  of 
horny  wall.  "Too  bad,  too  bad !"  condoled  the  judge  with 
the  owner,  who  instantly  replied,  "Oh,  that's  all  right;  a  horse 
with  a  foot  like  that  will  never  miss  it!"  And  the  judge — a 
beginner — seemed  to  take  it  for  granted  that  the  foot  was  a 
specially  good  one,  precisely  as  he  was  expected  to  do,  and  he 
gave  the  horse  a  prize,  although  he  had  not  been  properly 
shown  out  like  his  rivals. 


Wire  Marks  Over  Side-Bones. 

Instances  have  been  disclosed  where  gashes  have  pur- 
posely been  cut  with  a  knife  on  the  hoof  head  just  over  a 
prominent  side-bone  so  that  when  the  wounds  healed  and  left 
large  scars  the  side-bones  might  be  laid  to  a  wire  cut.  This 
trick  is  mostly  used  in  the  case  of  a  stallion  that  might,  on 
account  of  a  side-bone,  be  refused  a  license  for  public  service 
in  states  where  laws  are  in  force  for  the  supervision  of  the 
horse  breeding  industry. 

In  Wisconsin,  which  was  the  first  state  to  enact  a  stallion 
service  law,  we  found  large  scars  over  side-bones  on  both  fore 
feet  of  a  pure-bred  draft  stallion.  In  another  case,  where  a 
complaint  was  filed  to  the  effect  that  a  stallion  was  unsound 
from  side-bone,  the  owner  claimed  by  letter  that  the  side-bone 
was  due  to  a  calk  wound.  Examination  by  a  veterinarian  dis- 
closed the  fact  that  the  wound  scar  was  over  a  side-bone  on 
a  hind  foot,  and  there  were  two  large  side-bones  on  each  fore 
foot  and  no  scars  on  the  latter.  The  state  license  of  this 
horse  was  promptly  cancelled  for  cause. 

Wedging  a  Cribber. 

Some  dealers  temporarily  make  a  horse  desist  from  crib- 
bing by  driving  hard  wood  wedges  between  his  front  incisor 
teeth.     Another  old  plan  is  to  saw  between  the  teeth.     The 


26  HORSE   SECRETS 

soreness  makes  it  painful  for  the  horse  to  practise  the  habit 
of  cribbing.  Such  a  horse  may  be  returned  to  the  commission 
man,  no  matter  how  much  time  has  elapsed  since  the  purchase. 
The  trick  is  difficult  to  discover  unless  the  horse  has  cribbed 
long  enough  to  render  the  appearance  of  the  teeth  suspicious. 
In  the  confirmed  cribber  the  teeth  are  worn  off  or  levelled  and 
usually  have  lost  the  marks. 

Another  way  of  stopping  a  horse  from  cribbing  is  to  blind- 
fold the  animal,  place  a  block  of  wood  on  the  incisor  teeth 
and  strike  it  with  a  mallet.  By  this  cruel  means  the  parts 
are  made  so  sore  that  the  horse  temporarily  stops  catching 
hold  of  the  manger  to  crib  and  suck  wind. 

The  buyer  should  always,  when  possible,  see  the  horse 
in  the  stall  prior  to  the  show  out.  If  he  remembers  this  and 
moves  quick  enough  he  may  see  the  horse  wearing  a  strap 
buckled  around  his  neck  just  back  of  the  ears.  Such  a  horse 
is  a  cribber  and  wind-sucker  and  the  strap  is  put  on  to  prevent 
the  latter  vice. 


Making  an  Artificial  Star. 

It  sometimes  happens  or  is  claimed  to  have  happened  that 
a  pure-bred  foal,  registered  when  young  in  the  stud  book, 
is  set  down  as  having  a  star  in  its  forehead  but  which  on 
attaining  maturity  shows  no  such  mark.  Sometimes  in  match- 
ing horses  a  difficulty  is  experienced  when  a  perfect  mate  is 
found  with  the  exception  that  a  star  is  lacking. 

In  such  cases  the  horseman  is  occasionally  more  or  less 
successful  in  producing  an  artificial  star.  One  plan  suggested 
is  to  cut  a  boiling  hot  potato  in  two  and  instantly  apply  the 
cut  surface  to  the  skin  of  the  forehead.  The  scalding  removes 
the  hair  and  it  comes  in  white,  but  a  careful  examination  of 
such  an  artificial  scar  often  will  disclose  a  small  pink,  hairless 
spot  in  the  center  of  the  mark.  The  same  tell-tale  spot  is  seen 
where  the  artificial  star  has  been  produced  by  cauterizing  with 
a  red-hot  iron  or  scalding  with  boiling  water.  The  discovery 
of  an  artificial  star  on  the  forehead  of  a  stallion  or  mare  sold 
as  pure-bred  and  registered  is  sufficient  reason  for  making 
a  careful  investigation  as  to  the  identity  of  the  animal  and  the 
integrity  of  the  seller. 

An  old  book  gives  the  following  plan  of  making  an 
artificial  star:  Take  a  piece  of  coarse  tow-linen,  the  size  of 
the  wished-for  star.  Spread  on  it  warm  pitch,  and  apply  it 
to  the  shaved  spot ;  leave  it  on  for  two  or  three  days,  then 
wash  with  a  smart  water,  or  elixir  of  vitriol,  two  or  three 
times  a  day  until  well.    When  the  hair  grows  it  will  be  white. 


HORSE   SECRETS  2.J 

Black  Spots  on  a  White  Horse. 

An  old  veterinary  book  says:  Take  of  powdered  quick- 
lime half  a  pound,  and  litharge  four  ounces.  Beat  well  the 
litharge  with  the  lime.  The  above  is  to  be  put  into  a  vessel 
and  a  sharp  lye  is  to  be  poured  over  it.  This  is  the  coloring 
matter  which  must  be  applied  to  such  parts  of  the  animal  as 
you  wish  to  have  dyed  black. 

Broken  Crest  or  Wrong  Lying  Mane. 

In  certain  gross,  coarse-necked,  heavy-maned,  plethoric 
draft  stallions  advancing  in  age  it  is  not  uncommon  to  find 
the  crest  broken  over  under  the  weight  of  the  mane.  Attempts 
are  sometimes  made  by  the  owner  or  seller  to  offset  this  objec- 
tionable condition  by  braiding  the  mane  and  causing  it  to  lie 
upon  the  side  of  the  neck  opposite  the  break  by  weighting 
with  flat  strips  of  lead  attached  to  the  hair.  If  the  crest  breaks 
over  to  either  side  the  mane  may  be  roached.  Weights  may 
also  be  used  in  similar  fashion  to  shed  the  mane  of  one  horse 
of  a  pair  so  that  it  will  lie  on  the  proper  side  of  the  neck  to 
make  the  team  well  matched  and  dressed.  A  broken  crest  is 
objectionable  in  a  stallion  as  it  indicates  coarseness  and  gross- 
ness,  a  tendency  to  which  is  likely  to  be  transmitted.  The 
term  broken  crest  is  sometimes  applied  in  the  market  to  a 
horse  affected  with  fistulous  withers  or  scarred  therefrom. 

Concealing  Discharging  Sinuses. 

It  is  not  uncommon  for  a  horse  to  have  a  fistula  (opening 
or  sinus)  of  a  salivary  duct.  Where  this  is  so  there  will  be 
a  discharge  of  saliva  which  appears  as  a  limpid,  transparent 
liquid  oozing  out  or  flowing  in  a  stream.  It  is  most  profuse 
when  the  animal  is  eating  and  at  that  time  may  escape  in  jets. 

Such  fistulse  commonly  involve  Stenon's  duct  and  are 
located  on  the  side  of  the  face  or  jaw.  They  are  difficult  to 
remedy,  and  the  dealer  resorts  to  the  use  of  strong  astring- 
ents and  then  plugs  the  openings  tightly  with  cotton  to 
temporarily  prevent  escape  of  saliva  until  a  sale  has  been 
effected. 

A  fistula  connecting  with  the  root  of  a  diseased  molar  and 
discharging  pus  through  a  sinus  (pipe)  the  orifice  of  which 
is  under  the  lower  jaw,  may  be  plugged  in  similar  fashion,  to 
be  discovered  later  by  the  chagrined  buyer.  It  also  is  possible 
temporarily  to  prevent  escape  of  pus  from  small  chronic  fistulas 
or  those  resulting  from  poll-evil,  fistulous  withers  or  trephining 
of  the  bones  of  the  face. 


28  HORSE   SECRETS 

The  Galloping  Past  Dodge. 

'Some  horses  roar  loudly  when  going  fast  in  harness,  but 
are  instantly  quiet  when  action  ceases.  To  prevent  the  detec- 
tion of  this  unsoundness  the  seller,  unless  prevented  from 
doing  so  by  an  experienced  buyer,  gallops  the  horse  past  the 
latter  and,  by  tugging  upon  the  lines,  makes  it  appear  that 
the  animal  is  trying  to  run  away  or  is  difficult  to  control.  The 
team  is  pulled  up  some  distance  away  and  by  the  time  the 
buyer  gets  there  the  horse  has  resumed  normal  breathing. 

The  better  way  to  test  the  horse's  wind  is  to  lock  the  rear 
wheels  of  a  wagon  by  thrusting  a  strong  stick  between  the 
spokes  from  one  wheel  to  the  other ;  then  make  the  horses 
pull  the  wagon  at  a  run  and  be  at  their  heads  the  moment  they 
stop.  Such  horses  may  not  be  true  roarers  but  mechanical 
chokers  with  thick,  bull  necks  or  enlarged  throat  glands. 
These  are  practically  sound  and  only  roar  when  pulling  a 
heavy  load  up  hill  or  on  getting  the  chin  down  close  to  the 
chest. 

Keeping  a  Horse  on  Edge. 

A  horseman  of  the  old  school  writes :  "When  dealers 
have  had  a  horse  some  time  in  their  stables,  they  exercise 
him  with  a  whip  two  or  three  times  a  day,  so  that  when  a 
'chapman'  goes  to  look  at  him,  they  have  only  to  stir  their 
hand  with  the  whip  in  it.  Under  such  conditions  it  is  hard 
to  say  whether  the  horse,  fearful  of  a  drubbing,  is  lame  or  not, 
and  a  good  judge  may  be  deceived." 

In  another  place  he  says :  "A  horse  that  goes  with  his 
fore  feet  low  is  very  apt  to  stumble  and  there  are  some  that 
go  so  near  the  ground  that  they  stumble  most  on  even  road, 
and  the  dealers,  to  remedy  this,  put  heavy  shoes  on  their  feet, 
for  the  heavier  a  horse's  shoes  are,  the  higher  he  will  lift  his 
feet." 

"An  Eye  for  An  Eye." 

The  buyer  should  have  a  keen  look  out  for  the  eye  of  the 
horse ;  otherwise  he  may  easily  make  sad  mistakes  in  the 
market. 

The  pupil  of  the  eye  should  contract  when  the  horse 
comes  out  into  the  light.  If  it  does  not,  the  eye  is  blind,  or 
at  least  unsound.  Such  eyes  have  an  unnatural  appearance 
which  should  attract  the  attention  of  the  alert  examiner,  but 
he  will  be  very  apt  to  overlook  the  blindness  if  the  horse  is 
led  out  into  the  bright  sunshine.    Where  a  horse  has  recently 


HORSE   SECRETS  20, 

become  blind  from  periodic  ophthalmia  (moon  blindness),  he 
may  still  be  able  to  detect  a  bright  light,  and  so  when  exposed 
to  sunshine,  may  throw  up  his  head  and  look  directly  at  the 
sun.  This  act  makes  the  examiner  liable  to  consider  the  eyes 
sound. 

Periodic  ophthalmia,  as  suggested  by  the  term,  comes  on 
at  intervals,  but  eventually  after  repeated  attacks  ends  in 
blindness  of  one  or  both  eyes. 

A  horse  that  has  had  a  few  attacks,  causing  a  slight 
opacity  of  the  cornea  (scum),  is  a  favorite  with  the  scalper,  as 
he  can  be  bought  cheap,  treated  for  the  temporary  clearing 
up  of  the  eyes,  and  sold  at  a  profit  to  an  unwary  buyer.  The 
disease  is  incurable,  and  its  presence  is  to  be  suspected  when 
the  eyebrow  appears  triangular  and  wrinkled,  and  the  eye 
looks  smaller  than  its  mate,  or  a  healthy  eye,  and  is  retracted 
into  the  orbit. 

Unscrupulous  buyers  sometimes  render  a  horse  temporarily 
blind  by  chewing  whole  flaxseed  to  a  pulp  and  smearing  it  in 
the  eye.  By  washing  a  cloudy,  sticky-looking  eyeball,  this 
trick  is  readily  discovered. 

A  horse  may  also  be  rendered  temporarily  blind  by  the 
administration  of  certain  drugs. 

The  clearing-up  process  of  treating  a  blue-eyed  or  moon- 
blind  horse  also  is  effected  by  skilful  use  of  such  drugs  as 
atropia,  belladonna,  eserine,  nitrate  of  mercury  ointment, 
bloodroot,  alum,  calomel,  etc.  Their  effect  is  transitory,  and 
the  horse  soon  has  an  unmistakable  attack  of  ophthalmia. 

Examine  the  Ears. 

It  will  be  well  to  "put  a  flea  in  the  ear"  of  the  man  who 
contemplates  buying  a  horse  and  who  may  not  know  that  the 
ear  will  bear  investigation.  If  the  animal  will  not  submit  to 
inspection,  look  out !  The  horse  that  will  not  allow  one  to 
handle  his  ears,  or  fights  when  the  attempt  is  made,  may  be 
a  terror  to  shoe,  and  therefore  has  had  the  "twitch"  put  on 
his  ear  many  a  time  in  the  blacksmith's  shop ;  or  he  may 
have  had  poll-evil,  some  injury  to  the  ear,  or  head,  or  have 
a  disease  present  which  makes  the  ear  sore  or  sensitive.  A 
horse  so  affected  is  difficult  to  handle,  as  he  fights  when  the 
halter  or  bridle  is  put  on. 

Sometimes  a  fine  silken  thread  may  be  found  running 
under  the  forelock  from  ear  to  ear  to  prevent  them  from 
lopping  over. 

Or  there  may  be  a  leaden  bullet  suspended  by  a  silk 
thread  in  the  hollow  of  the  ear  to  prevent  its  constant  motion. 


30  HORSE   SECRETS 

Sometimes  the  motion  indicates  impaired  sight  or  nervous- 
ness, whereas  the  lack  of  it  may  indicate  deafness. 

Then,  too,  we  sometimes  find  at  the  base  of  the  ear  a 
chronic,  almost  incurable  fistulous  opening  and  tract  con- 
necting with  the  bursa  mucosa,  constantly  discharging  a 
substance  like  liquid  vaseline,  which  daubs  and  mats  the  hair, 
giving  the  part  an  untidy,  filthy  appearance. 

Besides  this,  temporarily  stitched  and  glued  split  ears, 
chronic  eczema  and  warts  may  be  looked  for  and  avoided.  It 
is  more  difficult  to  find  ear  ticks,  such  as  are  met  with  in 
southwestern  states,  but  when  present  they  cause  great  irrita- 
tion, and  may  make  a  horse  fractious. 

Bishoping,  an  Old  Trick. 

John  C.  Knowlson,*  an  old  farrier,  writing  in  1850,  says: 
"Horse  dealers  have  a  trick  of  knocking  out  the  nook  teeth 
at  three  years  and  a  half,  to  make  a  horse  appear  five  years 
old  when  only  four;  but  they  cannot  raise  the  tusks.  At  six 
years  old  the  nook  teeth  are  a  little  hollow,  and  at  seven  there 
is  a  black  mark,  like  the  end  of  a  ripe  bean.  Afterwards  you 
will  observe  the  flesh  shrink  from  the  teeth,  which  grow  long 
and  yellow.  Horse  dealers  have  also  a  method  which  they 
call  Bishoping  a  horse's  month;  that  is,  filing  the  tusks  shorter, 
rounding  them  at  the  ends,  taking  a  little  out  of  the  nook 
teeth,  so  as  to  make  them  rather  hollow,  and  then  burning 
them  with  a  hot  iron.  I  was  hired  by  Anthony  Johnson,  of 
Wincolmlee,  Hull,  as  farrier  to  a  number  of  horses  that  were 
going  to  the  city  of  Moscow,  in  Russia,  for  sale,  and  we  had 
a  little  gray  horse,  called  Peatum,  that  was  seventeen  years 
old,  the  mouth  of  which  I  bishoped,  and  he  passed  for  six 
years  old,  and  was  the  first  horse  sold,  and  for  £500  English 
money!    I  only  mention  this  as  a  caution  to  horse  buyers." 


How  Bishoping  is  Done. 

Bishoping  is  dental  forgery,  false  marks  being  made  on 
the  incisor  teeth  to  make  an  old  horse  appear  young.  It  is  a 
dishonest  practise  and  not  to  be  countenanced  for  a  moment 
by  a  reputable  horseman.  The  modus  operandi  of  the 
business  is  told  as  follows  in  a  well-known  book  on  "Animal 
Dentistry":  "Renewal  of  the  cups  (bishoping)  is  the  most 
important  of  the  artificial  attempts  to  make  horses  appear 
younger,  and  if  performed  intelligently  upon  horses  that  are 

•See  note  on  page  47,  relating  to  "An  old  operation  for  spavin." 


HORSE  SECRETS  31 

not  too  old,  together  with  the  shortening  and  polishing  of  the 
crowns  of  the  superior  incisors,  may  deceive  even  the  vaunted 
expert.  The  operation  consists  of  cutting  large  cups  in  the 
inferior  corners,  smaller  ones  in  the  laterals  and  mere  dots 
in  the  centrals  and  then  staining  them  with  silver  nitrate. 
The  cupping  process  is  performed  with  an  engraver's  gouge, 
and  a  revolving  hand  drill,  or  by  the  modern  ingenious  imple- 
ment in  vogue  in  the  Chicago  market,  consisting  of  the  foot 
engine  used  by  human  dentists,  equipped  with  a  circular 
cutting  wheel,  by  which  cups  of  perfectly  normal  shape  and 
size  can  be  made.  The  horse  is  backed  into  a  single  stall 
and  secured  in  a  dental  halter.  An  assistant  works  the  dental 
engine  with  the  foot.  The  operator  holding  the  hand  piece  of 
the  flexible  shaft  in  the  right  hand  and  the  jaw  in  the  other, 
cuts  first  a  large  elliptical  cup,  with  sharp  commissures,  in 
the  table  of  the  corner  incisors,  then  smaller  ones  in  the 
laterals  and  small  dots  in  the  centrals.  As  the  wheel  revolves 
with  great  velocity,  the  cupping  is  the  work  of  but  a  moment, 
if  the  horse  stands  complacently.  When  the  corner  tooth  has 
but  a  small  table  it  is  enlarged  by  filling  and  the  cup  is  cut 
across  its  entire  length.  The  cup  in  the  corners  is  frequently 
made  with  a  rounded  belly  internally  and  a  sharp  commissure 
externally  to  give  a  more  confusing  if  not  a  more  natural 
appearance.  When  the  cupping  process  is  complete,  the 
arcade  is  dried  and  kept  free  from  saliva  by  wrapping  the  jaw 
behind  the  teeth  with  a  cloth  or  towel.  The  cups  are  then 
stained  by  applying  a  saturated  solution  of  silver  nitrate  with 
a  stick  and  then  drying  it  immediately  by  plunging  the  head 
of  a  burning  match  into  it.  The  drying  process  immediately 
blackens  the  cavity.  If  the  stain  flows  over  the  table  of  the 
tooth  it  is  filed  off. 

Shortening,  polishing,  cupping  and  staining  the  incisor 
teeth  of  a  nine  or  ten-year-old  horse  may  be  so  cleverly  per- 
formed that  the  most  circumspect  study  of  the  mouth  may  fail 
to  detect  the  alteration.  In  these  cases  the  cupping  is  limited 
to  the  removal  of  the  crusta  petrosa  within  the  infundibula, 
thus  leaving  the  cup  with  a  perfect  enamel  boundary.  At 
that  age  the  other  retrogressive  changes  are  not  pronounced, 
and  afford  but  little  evidence  to  guide  the  diagnostician. 
When  horses  are  past  the  age  of  twelve  years  the  results  of 
these  operations  are  easily  detected  by  the  interrupted  contact 
of  the  incisor  arcades  (rows  of  teeth)  and  especially  by  the 
angle  of  inclination,  which  is  never  altered  by  any  natural 
process  and  which  cannot  be  artificially  changed.  The  shape 
of  the  tables  and  the  absence  of  enamel  around  the  cup  will 
also  lead  readily  to  detection  of  the  fraudulent  attempts  to 
make  very  old  horses  appear  younger." 


32  HORSE   SECRETS 


Miscellaneous  Secrets. 


The  Widow  Trick. 

Some  years  since  it  was  common  to  find  cunningly  worded 
horse-sale  advertisements  in  the  daily  newspapers,  offering 
seemingly  valuable  animals  at  sacrifice  prices.  In  some  of  these 
advertisements  it  was  stated  that  a  widow  about  to  leave  for 
Europe,  where  she  hoped  to  be  able  to  assuage  the  grief  of  her 
recent  bereavement,  would  sell  her  favorite  carriage  horse, 
provided  she  could  be  assured  of  a  good  home  and  kind  treat- 
ment for  the  highly  esteemed  animal.  In  reality  the  widow 
was  a  myth  and  the  valuable  horse  a  good  looking,  but 
worthless  "robber." 

The  scheme  was  craftily  carried  out,  and  many  a  man 
from  the  country  fell  a  dupe  to  the  wiles  of  the  "widow"  and 
her  confederates.  On  going  to  the  address  mentioned  in  the 
advertisement,  the  prospective  buyer  would  find  a  large  stable 
in  the  rear  of  a  fine  old-fashioned  mansion  on  one  of  the  out- 
lying boulevards  or  avenues.  Here  in  charge  of  a  glib-tongued 
coachman,  usually  a  colored  man,  would  be  found  several 
finely  groomed  horses  standing  knee  deep  in  the  finest  of 
wheat  straw  bedding  and  surrounded  by  every  appointment 
of  a  swell  private  stable.  Opening  negotiations  with  the 
groom,  the  buyer  would  hear  one  of  the  most  plausible  and 
pleasing  tales  imaginable  elaborative  of  a  similar,  condensed 
story  told  in  the  glowing  advertisement  that  had  induced  the 
visit.  The  filly  or  gelding  would  be  described  as  bred  in  the 
purple,  by  Allerton,  out  of  Kentucky  Queen,  she  by  a  Pilot 
Jr.,  or  some  such  combination  of  standard  blood,  possessed  of 
great  speed,  having  done  halves  in  1.08,  a  final  quarter  in  34 
seconds,  and  the  half  "would  have  been  as  good  as  1.06^4  had 
the  track  'near  the  pole'  not  been  heavy  from  a  recent  rain." 
When  the  purchaser  had  become  interested,  but  not  sufficiently 
so  to  agree  to  a  somewhat  steep  price,  the  "widow"  dressed  in 
deepest  mourning  and  heavily  veiled  would  opportunely  appear 
upon  the  scene,  do  the  weeping  act  and  manage  matters  so 
adroitly  that  soon  a  bargain  would  be  struck  at  a  handsome 
figure. 

Sometimes  a  "Colonel"  or  a  "General"  or  a  "Judge"  would 
take  the  place  of  the  "widow,"  the  man  posing  as  that  charac- 


HORSE  SECRETS  33 

ter  being  suitably  dressed  for  the  part,  commanding  in  appear- 
ance, and  so  plausible  and  polished  in  address  as  to  disarm 
all  suspicion.  During  the  preliminary  negotiations  between  the 
groom  and  the  buyer,  the  "General'  would  be  conveniently 
stationed  in  the  hay-loft  overhead  and  would  be  summoned 
by  electric  bell  when  wanted,  the  "sucker"  meanwhile  being 
taken  into  the  alley  to  see  the  horse  go  through  his  paces. 

Needless  to  say  that  the  buyer  on  getting  the  horse  home 
and  trying  him  out  quickly  rued  his  bargain,  and  equally 
unnecessary  to  say  that  when  he  went  back  to  the  swell 
stable  for  redress  he  found  the  place  abandoned  and  was 
wholly  unable  to  locate  the  men  who  had  perpetrated  the 
swindle. 

This  method  of  fleecing  the  unwary  buyer  is  still  in  vogue 
but  far  less  common  than  was  the  case  before  the  advent  of 
the  automobile.  Still  it  will  be  well  to  take  glowing  horse- 
sale  advertisements  with  a  large  grain  of  salt,  and  better  still 
to  purchase  a  horse  through  some  reliable  commission  man 
or  dealer. 

Landing  a  Sucker. 

Dr.  H.  W.  Hawley,  an  experienced  veterinary  horse 
buyer  at  the  Chicago  Stock  Yards,  says  in  the  June,  1903, 
number  of  the  Chicago  Veterinary  College  "Quarterly  Bul- 
letin," that  most  of  the  tricks  of  the  horse  dealing  trade, 
though  not  all  of  them,  are  performed  by  scalpers.  It  takes 
only  a  few  glances  or  questions  for  the  sharper  to  know 
just  the  sort  of  horse  the  city  buyer  is  looking  for,  and  the 
scalper,  with  the  aid  of  his  colleagues,  proceeds  to  "land  a 
sucker." 

The  gentlemanly  scalper,  with  a  disinterested  manner, 
informs  the  buyer  that  he  saw  a  lovely  horse  in  a  certain 
barn,  the  color  being  mentioned,  but  not  being  a  horseman 
he  knows  nothing  as  to  the  soundness  of  the  animal,  nor  as 
to  the  price.  Word  is  sent  along  the  line,  and  everything 
is  ready.  The  horse  is  led  out  and  just  suits;  is  sound  and 
all  right,  but  the  sum  asked  is  $25  to  $75  more  than  the 
market  price.  Perhaps  the  unsuspecting  buyer  will  offer  $10 
or  $15  more  than  the  auction  price,  but  he  is  allowed  to  go 
away  with  a  polite,  "Thank  you,  for  the  offer." 

Another  disinterested  party  whispers  in  the  buyer's  ear 
that  the  horse  will  be  sold  at  auction.  Sure  enough,  the  animal 
is  led  to  the  auction  stables,  and  care  is  taken  that  the  buyer 
sees  it  passing. 

The  auctioneer  and  ringman  are  posted,  and  they  wait 
for  the  sucker.     The  horseman   starts  the  animal  at  pretty 


34  HORSE   SECRETS 

near  his  value.  The  bidding  is  rapid.  The  sucker  gets  in, 
and  under  excitement  bids  two  or  three  times.  Perhaps  one 
of  the  regular  eastern  shippers  bids  once,  but  as  a  rule,  the 
sucker,  the  auctioneer,  and  the  scalper  are  the  only  bidders. 
The  latter  can  usually  tell  when  the  victim  has  made  his  last 
bid,  and  the  horse  is  knocked  down  to  him  at  a  good  profit, 
which  is  divided  between  those  concerned. 

Sometimes  the  auctioneer  is  fooled  by  the  sucker  refusing 
to  bid  again.  In  such  a  case  the  scalper  kicks  out  of  his  last 
bid  and  the  horse  is  sold  to  the  sucker  at  his  previous  bid. 


A  Horse  That  Was  Right  There. 

A  New  Hampshire  horse  dealer  was  "burned"  by  trading 
for  a  horse  that  would  work  anywhere  and  pull  strongly 
except  when  he  came  to  the  foot  of,  a  hill ;  there  he  would  balk 
and  refuse  to  pull  a  pound.  After  he  had  kept  the  horse  about 
a  month  a  stranger  came  along  and  was  "taken  in."  The 
horse  looked  well  and  a  trade  was  made  for  another  horse 
and  considerable  "boot."  The  buyer  asked  the  dealer  if  the 
horse  was  a  good  worker  and  was  told,  "You  bet !  He  will 
work  any  place  you  put  him  and  when  you  come  to  the  foot 
of  a  hill  I  tell  you  he's  right  there!" 

So  the  buyer  discovered,  and  on  complaining  bitterly 
to  the  dealer  was  reminded  of  his  honesty  and  candor  in 
stating  that  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  he  would  always  be  right 
there.  No  doubt  he  paid  more  particular  attention  to  the 
plausible  talk  of  the  dealer  the  next  time  he  had  occasion  to 
"dicker"  for  a  "hoss." 


An  Honest "  Hoss  "  Dealer. 

There  lived  in  Michigan  a  shrewd  old  horse  dealer  who 
gave  folks  due  warning  to  beware  when  he  donned  his  selling 
clothes.  He  used  to  say :  "When  I  say,  'Hoss', — look  out ! 
I'm  a-goin'  to  trade.  But  when  it's  'Horse,' — nawthin'  doin' ! 
Ye're  perfectly  safe." 

It  is  related  that  this  character  had  a  balky  horse  put  on 
him  by  brother  dealers  in  a  neighboring  town ;  but  a  few  days 
later  he  got  even,  and  with  the  same  "hoss."  The  former 
owners  failed  to  recognize  the  beast,  for  in  the  interim  it  had 
been  clipped,  roached,  docked  and  bishoped,  besides  receiving 
a  few  artistic  spots  of  dye,  and  having  had  "tug  marks"  and 
"collar  galls"  manufactured  by  skilful  shaving  at  the  right 
places.     In  his  new  fix  he  looked  a  young,  handsome,  hard- 


HORSE  SECRETS  35 

working  animal,  but  when  the  deal  was  made  and  the  new 
owners  hitched  him  up,  they  realized  at  once  that  both  they 
and  the  horse  were  "stuck." 


A  Sharper's  Smooth  Sayings. 

Elsewhere  we  have  told  of  a  balker  that  "was  right  there 
at  the  foot  of  a  hill"  or  that  would  "stand  without  hitching.'' 
The  scalper  and  crafty  dealer  use  many  catchy  phrases  of 
this  sort,  and  they  fool  the  buyer  unless  he  has  sharp  ears 
and  quick  comprehension. 

A  few  additional  catch  sayings  may  prove  of  interest :  A 
dealer  having  a  horse  with  defective  eyesight  fitted  him  out 
with  close  blinkers  and  said  to  the  buyer,  "He  doesn't  look 
very  well."  Another  said  of  a  heavey  horse,  "If  he  ain't  windy 
you  needn't  take  him." 

Again,  as  to  looks,  and  ability  in  harness,  one  said,  "If 
he  don't  suit  you  in  harness  you  can  take  it  off,"  and  again, 
"Single  I  bought  him ;  double  I  broke  him  myself." 

Some  of  the  dealers  are  wits  and  most  of  them  have  quaint 
expressions  and  sayings.  The  following  sample  will  suffice: 
A  dealer  was  seen  exercising  a  horse  so  badly  foundered  in 
his  hind  feet  that  he  not  only  walked  on  his  heels  but 
stood  with  his  fore  and  hind  feet  almost  on  the  same  spot 
under  his  body.  "Say!  What  are  you  goin'  to  do  with  that 
critter !"  asked  a  bystander,  and  like  a  flash  came  the  answer, 
"Take  him  to  Indiana  to  tramp  sourkraut  in  a  barrel." 


The  Winter  Board  Trick. 

A  farmer  read  an  advertisement  in  a  city  paper  asking 
for  a  winter  home  and  board  for  two  family  horses  that  the 
owner  desired  to  leave  comfortably  provided  for  in  the 
country  during  his  absence  in  Europe.  The  farmer  went  to 
the  city  to  investigate  and  found  a  fine  pair  of  horses  in  a 
swell  stable.  Soon  a  bargain,  profitable  to  the  farmer,  was 
arranged  at  a  specified  rate  per  week  for  board,  stabling  and 
care  during  the  winter,  but  as  the  pleased  stranger  was  about 
to  leave  for  home,  the  stableman  said,  "Here,  you  are  a 
stranger  to  me,  and  therefore  you  ought  to  put  up  some 
security  for  having  such  a  valuable  pair  of  horses  in  your 
care."  After  some  discussion,  the  farmer  was  induced  to 
deposit  $100  as  security,  and  went  home,  congratulating  him- 
self upon  the  good  winter's  profit  he  would  have  in  looking 
after  the  horses  which  were  to  be  shipped  to  him  by  train  the 
following  day.     In  due  course,  two  horses  arrived,  but  they 


36  HORSE   SECRETS 

were  old  "plugs,"  worth  perhaps  $5  a  piece.  The  swindle 
cost  the  farmer  $90  and  his  expenses,  for  when  he  went  to 
the  city  to  hunt  up  the  sharper,  he  found  the  stable  in  the 
same  old  place,  but  the  bird  had  flown,  and  no  one  could  tell 
him  where. 

How  Horses  Catch  Cold. 

An  old  time  farrier  wisely  says :  "Many  farmers  and 
tradesmen  get  too  much  drink  when  they  go  to  market,  and 
then  set  off  home,  riding  like  madmen,  and  calling  at  some 
public  house  on  the  road  to  get  more  of  the  soul  and  body 
destroying  evil,  leave  their  horses  to  stand  sweating  at  the 
door,  where  it  is  no  wonder  that  they  get  cold.  Wagoners, 
carters,  and  coal  carriers,  are  also  often  guilty  of  this  abomi- 
nable practise." 


Tricks  in  Measuring  Horses. 

It  is  often  important  to  have  a  horse  not  less  than  some 
given  height,  and  great  care  has  to  be  taken  in  making  the 
necessary  measurement  with  the  "hand  stick"  (hippometer). 
If  the  horse  is  under  or  over  the  desired  height  the  dealer 
may  irritate  the  animal  so  that  an  exact  measurement  is  difficult 
or  impossible  to  make. 

If  the  horse  is  undersized  the  "dealer  will  try  to  stand  him 
with  the  hind  feet  low.  In  the  stable  or  yard  everything  is 
prepared  so  that  this  may  be  easily  done.  Another  plan  is 
to  put  on  abnormally  thick  shoes,  or  those  having  calkins ;  the 
animal's  head  is  kept  lowered  so  that  the  withers  will  be 
correspondingly  heightened.  Opposite  methods  are  practised 
when  a  hoflpe  is  a  trifle  too  high  for  show-yard  requirements 
or  mating,  and  such  tricks  have  given  buyers  of  horses  for 
the  army  no  end  of  trouble. 

When  a  horse  is  to  be  measured  stand  him  on  a  level 
floor  and  then  see  that  the  measuring  is  honestly  done. 


HORSE  SECRETS  Ttf 


Secrets  About  Stallion  Selling'. 


Palming  Off  a  Grade  Stallion  on  a  Company. 

The  fact  that  several  bogus  pedigree  registry  associations 
are  in  existence,  although  they  have  not  received  the  approval 
of  the  Department  of  Agriculture  at  Washington,  makes  it 
possible  for  dishonest  stallion  peddlers  to  obtain  fraudulent 
registry  certificates  and,  by  using  them,  to  fool  the  farmer.  It 
would  be  well  if  no  registry  associations  were  allowed  to 
engage  in  the  interstate  business  of  recording  the  pedigrees 
of  breeding  animals  without  first  obtaining  the  approval  of 
the  Secretary  of  Agriculture. 

A  stallion  whose  sire  was  said  by  the  owner  to  be 
"Middleton  II"  and  out  of  a  dam  of  part  Morgan  blood,  was 
given  a  grade  license  certificate  by  the  Department  of  Horse 
Breeding,  of  the  College  of  Agriculture,  of  the  University  of 
Wisconsin.  Some  time  later  the  horse  changed  hands  and 
the  buyer,  who  was  an  experienced  organizer  of  stallion 
companies,  had  him  recorded  in  a  bogus  stud  book  which 
issues  a  handsome,  gold  sealed  registry  certificate.  On  this 
the  stallion  was  given  an  entirely  new  and  wholly  false 
pedigree,  the  sire  being  set  forth  as  "Grove  Revenue"  and  the 
dam  as  a  well-bred  Shire.  On  the  strength  of  this  attractive 
registry  certificate  of  notable  ancestry  and  the  help  of  a  few 
confederates,  the  stallion  was  sold  to  a  company  of  hard- 
working farmers  in  one  of  the  northern  counties  of  the  state 
for  $1,800  in  shares  of  $75  each.  Some  of  the  notes  were  dis- 
counted and  the  peddler  disappeared,  but  now  the  matter  is 
in  the  courts,  as  the  Department  of  Horse  Breeding  discovered 
the  swindle  and  put  the  company  "wise." 

Another  case  has  been  discovered  where  a  grade  stallion 
was  sold  for  a  good  price  as  pure-bred  on  the  strength  of  a 
registry  certificate  from  the  stud  book  alluded  to  and  "impor- 
ted" according  to  the  statement  of  the  peddler.  The  owner 
in  this  case  also  learned  too  late  that  he  had  fallen  a  victim 
to  sharpers,  and  will  now  seek  redress  in  the  courts. 

Many  similar  cases  could  be  cited  and  they  serve  to  show 
the  importance  of  studying  the  registry  certificate  furnished 
with  the  horse  and  making  sure  that  it  was  issued  by  a  stud 
book  association  approved  by  the  Department  of  Agriculture, 
Washington,  D.  C. 


38  HORSE   SECRETS 

Stud  Books  Approved  by  the  Government. 

The  following  registry  associations  have  been  approved 
by  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  Washington,  D.  C. : 

American  Association  of  Importers  and  Breeders  of 
Belgian  Draft  Horses  — J.  D.  Connor,  Jr.,  Wabash,  Ind., 
Secretary. 

American  Breeders'  Association  of  Jacks  and  Jennets — 
J.  W.  Jones,  Columbia,  Tenn.,  Secretary. 

American  Clydesdale  Association — R.  B.  Ogilvie,  Union 
Stock-yards,  Chicago,  111.,  Secretary. 

American  Hackney  Horse  Society — Gurney  C.  Gue,  308 
West  97th  St.,  New  York,  Secretary. 

American  Breeders'  and  Importers'  Percheron  Registry — 
John  A.  Forney,  Plainfield,  O.,  Secretary. 

American  Saddle  Horse  Breeders'  Association — I.  B.  Nail, 
Louisville,  Ky.,  Secretary. 

American  Shetland  Pony  Club — Mortimer  Levering,  La- 
fayette, Ind.,  Secretary. 

American  Shire  Horse  Breeders'  Association — Chas. 
Burgess,  Wenona,  111.,  Secretary. 

American  Stud  Book  (Thoroughbreds) — W.  H.  Rowe, 
New  York,  Registrar. 

American  Trotting  Register  Co. — Frank  E.  Best,  355 
Dearborn  St.,  Chicago,  Registrar. 

American  Suffolk  Horse  Association — Alexander  Gal- 
braith,  De  Kalb,  111.,  Secretary. 

Cleveland  Bay  Society  of  America — R.  P.  Stericker,  West 
Orange,  N.  J.,  Secretary. 

French  Coach  Horse  Society  of  America — Duncan  E. 
Willett,  Oak  Park,  111.,  Secretary. 

French  Coach  Registry  Co., — Chas.  C.  Glenn,  Columbus, 
O.,  Secretary. 

German,  Hanoverian  and  Oldenburg  Coach  Horse 
Breeders'  Association — J.  Crouch,  Lafayette,  Ind.,  Secretary. 

Morgan  Horse  Register — Joseph  Battell,  Middlebury,  Vt., 
Editor. 

National  French  Draft  Horse  Association — C.  E.  Stubbs, 
Fairfield,  Iowa,  Secretary. 

Percheron  Society  of  America — Geo.  W.  Stubblefield, 
Union  Stock-yards,  Chicago,  Secretary. 

Percheron  Registry  Co. — Chas.  C.  .Glenn,  Columbus,  O., 
Secretary. 


HORSE  SECRETS  39 

Stud  Books  Not  Certified  by  the  Government. 

The  following  registry  books  are  not  at  the  date  of  this 
writing,  August  4,  1909,  certified  by  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture, Washington,  D.  C. : 

American  Horse  Breeders'  Trotting  Registry  Association, 
161  High  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 

American  Horse  Registry  Association — N.  J.  Harris, 
Des  Moines,  la.,  Secretary. 

Arabian  Horse  Club  of  America — H.  K.  Bush-Brown, 
Newburgh,  N.  Y.,  Secretary. 

American  Iceland  Pony  Club — Geo.  H.  Simpson, 
Wheaton,  111.,  Secretary. 

American  Percheron  Registry  Association — S.  M.  Heber- 
ling,  La  Grange,  111.,  Secretary. 

Coach  and  Draft  Horse  Association  of  America — Frederick 
Wightman,  La  Crosse,  Wis. 

Hartman  Stock  Farm  Registry  Record  Co. — Adam 
Krumm,  Columbus,  O.,  Secretary. 

International  Consolidated  Record  Association — H.  A. 
Jones,  Penn  Yan,  N.  Y.,  Secretary.  , 

Morrisons'  International  Roadster  Register — Des  Moines, 
Iowa. 

The  American  Jack  Register — W.  L.  De  Clow,  Cedar 
Rapids,  la. 

The  National  Standard  Pacing  and  Trotting  Horse 
Breeders'  Association — Thos.  C.  Parsons,  1023-5  Williamson 
Building,  Cleveland,  O.,  Registrar. 

The  Standard  Jack  and  Jennet  Registry  of  America — 
Kansas  City,  Mo. 

Story  of  a  Company  Stallion  Deal. 

A  few  years  ago  a  suit  for  the  payment  of  fraudulently 
obtained  notes  for  the  purchase  of  a  stallion  was  thrown  out 
of  court  by  Judge  Carland,  of  Sioux  Falls,  South  Dakota,  for 
want  of  equity.  A  transcript  of  the  evidence  shows  that 
there  were  the  best  of  reasons  for  the  Judge's  action. 

It  was  alleged  by  the  defendants,  a  number  of  farmers, 
that  their  names  were  secured  in  a  book,  by  reason  of  rep- 
resentations made  by  an  agent  of  the  horse  importer  that  they 
were  signing  a  call  for  a  meeting  of  farmers  to  consider  the 
matter  of  buying  a  stallion  for  $5,000,  and  that  when  twenty 
names  were  secured  a  meeting  would  be  called. 

The  names  were  secured  and  the  meeting  called,  but 
instead  of  being  asked  to  consider  the  matter  of  buying  the 
horse  the  signers  were  informed  that  they  had  already  agreed 


40  HORSE   SECRETS 

to  buy  the  horse  and  jointly  and  severally  pay  $5,000  for  him  in 
four  equal  yearly  payments,  the  first  payment  to  be  in  two 
years,  with  six  per  cent,  interest  on  all  payments.  In  a  proof  of 
this  it  was  shown  that  a  brief  contract  in  small  type  was 
printed  at  the  top  of  the  page  of  the  book  in  which  the  names 
were  signed  which  bound  the  signers  as  alleged.  Upon  this 
revelation  the  meeting  became  the  opposite  of  one  called  to 
consider  the  purchase  of  the  horse,  as  may  be  readily  imagined. 

The  evidence  shows  that  the  defendants  either  did  not 
know  there  was  any  printing  matter  on  the  page  they  signed, 
or  if  they  did  see  it  did  not  read  it,  and  were  told  by  the  agent 
that  it  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  matter  under  consideration, 
or  to  be  exact,  one  farmer  testified:  "I  looked  the  thing  over: 
I  noticed  this  contract  at  the  head  of  it  and  I  asked  what 
that  fine  print  was  there.  He  (the  agent)  said  that  it  was 
an  Iowa  contract  and  did  not  cut  any  figure  in  this  State." 
Another  explanation  was  testified  to  by  another  witness,  quoted 
further  on.  Some  witnesses  testified  that  a  broad  rubber 
band  or  a  turned  leaf  concealed  the  contract.  The  agent 
testified  that  he  did  not  call  any  of  the  defendants'  attention 
to  the  contract,  didn't  know  if  they  saw  it,  but  "supposed 
they  did,  for  they  had  the  book  in  their  hands." 

All  the  defendants  testified  that  they  would  not  have 
signed  the  book  if  they  had  known  the  contract  was  there. 
Regarding  the  matter  of  what  the  meeting  was  to  be  called 
for,  one  farmer  testified  as  follows,  and  he  was  corroborated 
by  the  other  witnesses  for  the  defense,  and  by  at  least  one 
witness  for  the  plaintiffs : 

"Question :  State  what  that  conversation  was,  what  he 
(the  agent)  said  and  what  you  said." 

"Answer :  He  told  me  he  was  trying  to  sell  a  horse  and 
wanted  me  to  sign  a  book.  I  asked  the  object  of  signing  the 
book  and  he  said  it  was  just  to  call  a  meeting  and  get  the 
men  together  and  see  if  they  would  buy  the  horse.  I  asked 
him  why  he  wanted  our  names  on  the  book  if  he  just  wanted 
to  call  a  meeting,  why  didn't  he  call  it  without  our  names  on 
the  book?  Well,  he  says,  you  fellows  are  strangers  to  me, 
your  names  are  unfamiliar  and  I  want  a  list  of  them  so  that 
I  will  know  who  to  notify  when  I  get  ready  to  call  a  meeting, 
or  else,  he  says,  I  may  forget  some  of  you  who  would  like  a 
share  in  that  horse.  Then  I  asked  if  there  was  anything  binding 
about  the  book.  I  saw  some  printed  matter  and  asked  him 
what  that  was  and  he  said  there  was  nothing  binding  about  it. 
I  asked  him  what  it  was  and  what  it  was  there  for.  He  said 
it  was  just  a  memorandum  showing  that  the  meeting  was 
called  for,  and  the  meeting  would  be  to  make  a  proposition 
to  us  to  sell  the  horse  and  if  we  seen  fit  to  buy  the  horse,  well 
and  good.     If  not,  he  said  he  would  be  out  so  much  time 


HORSE   SECRETS  41 

and  no  harm  done.     That  is  the  sum  and  substance  of  the 
conversation  we  had  until  I  signed  the  book." 

It  seems  clear  enough  that  the  defendants  believed  they 
were  simply  signing  a  call  for  a  meeting  to  consider  the 
subject  of  forming  a  company  to  buy  the  horse;  at  any  rate 
the  case  seemed  so  clear  to  Judge  Carland  that  he  did  not 
seriously  consider  the  question  of  compelling  the  farmers  to 
give  their  notes  as  demanded  by  the  plaintiffs,  and  threw  the 
case  out  of  court. 

Horse  Peddlers'  Confessions. 

A  peddler  is  a  horse  sharper  who  buys  a  cheap  stallion 
of  questionable  quality,  soundness,  prepotency  or  breeding, 
from  some  large  horse  dealing  firm,  and  then  organizes  a 
company  of  farmers  for  his  purchase  at  a  handsome  profit. 
The  tricks  of  such  men  are  many  and  shady,  and  a  few  of 
them  are  here  quoted  for  the  benefit  of  farmers,  who  being 
thus  forewarned,  should  in  future  be  forearmed  against  the 
wiles  of  these  glib-tongued  confidence  men. 

The  "Farm,  Stock  and  Home"  vouches  for  the  truth  of  the 
following  personal  confession  of  a  stallion  peddler: 


The  Sale  of  Les  Epinards. 

I  had  noticed  in  a  farm  paper  the  advertisement  of  an 
auction  sale  of  Percheron  horses  to  be  held  at  the  farm  of  a 
breeder  in  an  adjoining  state.  I  slipped  down  there  a  few 
days  before  the  date  of  sale,  and  picked  out  a  nice  looking, 
two-year-old  stallion  and  on  the  day  of  sale  bid  $320  and  the 
horse  was  sold  to  me.  A  pedigree  was  thrown  in,  but  as  it 
was  written  in  the  English  language  and  the  horse  had  a 
common,  pronounceable  name,  I  discarded  it  and  christened 
him  Les  Epinards.  At  that  time  I  didn't  know  what  Les 
Epinards  meant,  but  remembered  having  seen  it  somewhere. 
I  shipped  him  to  a  small  town  and  started  in  to  organize  a 
company  to  buy  him  for  $2,800.  The  pedigree  proposition 
bothered  me  until  I  heard  Billie  was  organizing  a  company 
in  the  next  county.  He  very  kindly  lent  me  a  pedigree  that 
he  had  in  his  trunk  which  answered  very  well  for  Les  Epin- 
ards. It  was  natural  for  me  to  say  that  the  Epinards  were 
celebrated  breeders  over  in  France  who  always  named  their 
horses  after  themselves.  The  name  and  the  horse  made  a 
hit,  and  in  six  weeks'  time  I  had  the  signatures  of  ten  farmers 
each  for  $280,  four  of  them  good,  and  the  others  just  well 
enough  known  to  the  banker  to  cut  down  his   discount   15 


42  HORSE   SECRETS 

per  cent.    As  it  was  a  joint  note,  the  banker  realized  in  full 
and  I  came  out  of  the  sale  in  this  fashion: 

Price  to  company $2,800 

EXPENSES 

Paid  for  the  horse $320 

Freight    12 

Bank  discount 420 

Board    60 

Paid  cappers  150 

Groom  55 

Feed    18  1,035 

Profit  $1,765 

Now  that's  what  Tummy  would  call  "financial  acumen." 
I  bought  a  horse  at  an  auction  sale  for  $320,  shipped  him  to 
another  county  in  the  same  state  and  sold  him  for  $2,800.  It 
gradually  dawned  on  me  that  there  was  more  money  in  the 
selling  than  there  was  in  the  breeding  and  raising.  Tummy 
was  a  wise  boy,  but  I  was  beginning  to  learn  a  few  things 
myself. 

The  same  paper  published  the  following,  October  1,  1905: 

The  Sale  of  Transmigrate!*. 

The  easy  money  I  made  on  the  sale  of  Les  Epinards  as 
narrated  in  the  last  issue,  emboldened  me  to  try  a  new  dodge. 
A  fair  was  being  held  in  Winnipeg.  While  there  I  fell  in 
with  a  horse  breeder  who  had  a  number  of  Percherons  on  his 
farm,  some  distance  to  the  east  of  that  town.  At  his  invita- 
tion I  visited  the  farm  and  was  somewhat  surprised  at  the 
prices  he  quoted  for  fine-looking  stallions.  One  two-year-old 
of  necessary  size  and  shape  he  offered  me  for  $300.  It  was 
not  any  part  of  my  business  to  tell  him  who  I  was,  and  I 
am  inclined  to  think  he  took  me  for  a  farmer  from  the  states. 
In  the  horse  peddling  business  the  less  people  know  about 
you  the  better  and  easier  it  is  for  the  peddler,  so  I  never 
corrected  him.  I  bought  the  horse,  imported  him  across  the 
imaginary  line  dividing  the  two  countries  duty  free  by  making 
affidavit  he  was  to  be  used  exclusively  for  breeding  purposes 
and  by  satisfying  the  authorities  with  the  pedigree  furnished 
me  by  the  Canadian  that  he  was  a  pure-bred  animal. 

With  the  rich  selected  feed  my  groom  knew  how  to  mix, 
helped  along  with  artistic  grooming  and  care,  Transmigrator — 
the  name  he  was  to  be  known  by — waxed  fat  and  sleek.  I 
could  truthfully  say  he  was  imported,  but  as  he  was  a  bit 
shy  on  prize  winnings  I  could  not  harp  much  on  that  score. 
Blue  ribbons  were  cheap,  however,  and  when  we  decked  him 
out  with  a  supply  of  them,  he  looked  as  fit  as  the  majority  of 


HORSE  SECRETS  43 

horses  I  sold  for  certain  importers.  Inasmuch  as  his  pedigree 
was  written  in  English,  and  certified  to  by  officials  with  easy 
names  to  pronounce,  I  resolved  to  give  the  company  a  bargain, 
and  put  his  price  at  $2,500.  I  always  did  believe  in  being 
generous.  I  might  just  as  easily  have  sold  for  $3,000,  but  I 
threw  off  $500  on  account  of  the  understandable  pedigree. 

The  company  which  bought  the  horse  came  near  going 
to  pieces  after  I  had  secured  the  names  of  six  farmers  to  the 
notes.  A  busybody  in  that  community  insisted  on  making 
me  a  cash  offer  of  $1,000.  Of  course,  there  was  no  profit  in 
that  for  me  and  I  was  perfectly  right  in  refusing  his  offer. 
What's  the  use  of  farmers  being  educated  to  the  beauties  of 
the  company  plan  which  benefits  the  bankers,  the  peddlers, 
the  groom,  and  the  cappers,  if  we  are  going  to  sell  the  horse 
direct  for  cash.  It's  only  the  farmers  that  make  the  money 
by  the  cash  or  direct  way  of  buying  a  stallion.  I  never  met  a 
peddler  who  was  looking  out  for  the  farmers'  interests.  They 
are  in  the  business  to  improve  the  quality  of  horses  and 
incidentally  increase  the  size  of  their  own  bank  rolls. 

This  reprobate  even  went  so  far  as  to  actually  buy  a 
stallion  from  a  breeder  for  $975.  and  I  must  confess  he  was  a 
good  judge,  for  he  certainly  got  an  excellent  animal.  My  horse, 
however,  had  one  advantage — he  had  a  longer  name  and  was 
imported.  On  two  occasions  I  felt  like  quitting.  Only  four 
of  the  signers  of  the  joint  note  could  be  trusted  for  a  peanut, 
so  the  banker  said,  and  he  insisted  on  my  getting  two  addi- 
tional names  acceptable  to  him.  This  was  not  an  agreeable 
task,  and  I  worked  like  a  Trojan,  persuading  the  members  of 
the  company  that  it  was  a  more  sensible  thing  to  sign  notes 
due  in  two  years  for  $2,500  at  only  six  per  cent,  interest 
rather  than  to  pay  $1,000  cash  for  a  horse  that  possibly  might 
die  as  soon  as  paid  for.  I  will  not  repeat  in  cold  print  the 
arguments  I  used — they  might  be  considered  foolish  by  my 
readers.  The  fact  remains,  however,  I  did  get  six  good  names 
on  that  note  and  four  fillers,  making  ten  signers,  who  each 
agreed  to  pay  me  $250  for  Transmigrator.  They  could 
have  bought  a  better  horse  for  $1,000  cash  from  breeders, 
within  100  miles.  I  made  fair  wages  by  the  transaction,  as 
may  be  seen  from  the  following: 

Price  to  company $2,500 

EXPENSES 

Cost  of  horse .$300 

Banker's  discount   375 

Freight    37 

Board    49 

Feed    25 

Paid  cappers  160  946 

Profit  $1,554 


44  HORSE   SECRETS 


Some  Veterinary  Secrets. 


Secret  of  Preventing  Navel  and  Joint  Disease. 

When  a  new-born  foal  speedily  develops  abscesses  involv- 
ing the  navel  and  the  joints  of  the  extremities,  the  cause  is 
an  invasion  of  the  navel  by  filth  germs  and  this  may  easily 
be  prevented.  A  mare  foaling  in  cold  weather  should  be 
provided  with  a  clean,  fresh  bedded,  disinfected,  light,  airy, 
whitewashed  box  stall  in  which  to  have  her  foal.  In  the 
summer  season  she  may  be  allowed  to  foal  on  grass  where 
filth  germs  are  less  liable  to  be  found  than  in  old,  dark,  dirty 
stables.  But  no  matter  where  the  foal  is  born,  care  must  be 
taken  to  thoroughly  disinfect  the  navel  cord  (umbilicus)  as 
soon  as  it  has  been  severed  or  tied.  For  this  purpose  a  1 1500 
solution  of  bichloride  of  mercury  (corrosive  sublimate)  is 
usually  recommended,  but  we  advise  the  use  of  a  much 
stronger  solution  to  be  prepared  as  follows :  Dissolve  y2 
ounce  of  finely  powdered  corrosive  sublimate  in  1  pint  of 
boiling  water  to  which  has  been  added  1  dram  of  dilute 
hydrochloric  acid.  When  cold  add  y2  ounce  of  tincture  of  iron, 
as  coloring  matter ;  label  the  bottle  "poison"  and  keep  it  out 
of  the  reach  of  children. 

At  the  birth  of  a  foal  immediately  wet  the  stump  of  the 
navel  with  this  solution  and  repeat  the  application  twice 
daily  until  the  cord  dries  up,  and  falls  off  and  no  raw  spot 
can  be  seen.  The  solution  at  the  time  of  using  may  conveniently 
be  held  in  a  shallow  wide-mouthed  bottle  into  which  the 
stump  of  the  cord  may  be  inserted  and  immersed.  As  soon 
as  the  cord  has  shrivelled  up  remove  it,  if  it  will  come  away 
readily.  The  new  raw  surface  can  easily  be  got  at  with  the 
solution.  Use  of  the  solution  will  also  tend  to  prevent  leakage 
of  urine  from  the  navel. 

It  is  best  to  avoid,  wherever  possible,  tying  the  navel 
cord  at  birth.  The  natural  way  is  for  the  cord  to  be  broken 
at  birth,  either  when  the  foal  is  dropped  or  by  the  mare 
rising,  and  so  causing  it  to  break  by  stretching  it.  When 
this  happens  the  walls  of  the  fetal  urinary  passage  (urachus), 
the  arteries  and  the  vein  of  the  umbilicus  retract  and  close 
the  opening;  whereas  these  vessels  are  liable  to  remain  open 


HORSE  SECRETS  45 

for  -entrance  of  germs  if  the  cord  has  been  ligated,  or  cut  off 
and  the  ligature  quickly  removed,  besides  allowing  the  escape 
of  urine  by  way  of  the  pervious  urachus. 


Symptoms  of  Bad  Teeth. 

In  some  old  horses  whose  molar  teeth  are  diseased  or 
irregular,  perfect  mastication  of  hay  becomes  impossible. 
After  the  animal  has  chewed  for  a  time,  the  teeth  and  tongue 
tend  to  form  a  ball  (bolus)  of  hay  which  is  forced  out  of  the 
mouth  instead  of  being  swallowed.  This  is  termed  "quidding," 
and  when  it  is  seen  it  may  be  taken  as  an  indication  of  the 
need  of  a  veterinary  dentist  with  his  instruments.  In  other 
cases  the  partly  masticated  food  is  gathered  in  a  pouch 
between  the  molar  teeth  and  cheek,  and  this  can  be  plainly 
seen  and  felt  by  the  careful  examiner.  This  pouch  is  some- 
times called  the  "granary,"  and  from  the  outside  its  presence 
is  indicated  by  an  elongated  tumor  which  has  a  doughy  feel 
when  pressed  with  the  finger. 

When  a  diseased  molar  is  present  in  the  mouth,  or  when 
a  "granary"  exists,  there  is  a  foul  odor,  which  should  lead  to 
the  discovery  of  the  condition.  To  distract  attention  from 
this  odor  it  is  said  that  horse  dealers  always  take  the  pre- 
caution to  cleanse  the  mouth  of  the  horse  with  vinegar. 

A  chronic  discharge  from  one  nostril  (nasal  gleet), 
accompanied  by  a  fetid  odor,  should  warn  the  buyer  to  make 
a  critical  examination  of  the  teeth,  for  if  one  is  diseased  and 
is  the  cause  of  the  discharge,  it  will  have  to  be  removed  by 
trephining,  and  that  means  expense  and  possibly  loss  of  the 
services  of  the  horse  for  some  time. 


Remedies  for  Tail  Rubbing. 

Idle,  overfed,  and  insufficiently  groomed  horses  often 
persistently  rub  their  manes  and  tails  to  allay  itchiness  of 
the  skin,  induced  by  collections  of  dandruff  which  have 
escaped  the  curry-comb  and  brush.  The  hair  on  the  root 
of  the  tail  soon  becomes  harsh,  stubby  and  stands  on  end 
so  that  the  part  becomes  an  eyesore,  and  especially  so  when 
continued  rubbing  has  produced  sores,  cracks  and  an  exudate 
of  serum,  blood  or  pus. 

A  Virginia  horseman  once  advised  the  writer  that  tail 
rubbing  could  quickly  be  cured  if,  at  the  outset,  the  following 
simple  plan  of  treatment  be  adopted:  Twist  a  lock  of  the 
upright  hair  of  the  affected  part  around  the  second  finger, 


46  HORSE   SECRETS 

and  then  pull  until  the  skin  "gives"  with  a  cracking  sound. 
Repeat  the  pulling,  lock  by  lock,  until  all  of  the  part  has  been 
treated  when  the  rubbing  will  cease.  If  it  does  not  do  so 
promptly,  repeat  the  treatment  as  required.  This  plan  is 
known  also  in  Scotland. 

Another  horseman  advised  that  when  a  mare  persistently 
rubs  her  tail  the  cause  may  be  a  collection  of  filth  about  the 
udder ;  a  thorough  washing  with  castile  soap  will  end  the 
trouble. 

Dealers  who  handle  fine  carriage  horses  and  are  preparing 
such  animals  for  sale  put  each  in  a  box  stall  during  the  feeding 
process  and  prevent  tail  rubbing  by  putting  a  wide  plank 
shelf-wise  on  brackets  around  the  inside  of  the  walls  of  the 
box.  When  the  horse  attempts  to  rub,  the  edge  of  the  plank 
will  strike  several  inches  below  the  itching  part,  and  so  make 
tail  rubbing  impossible.  Another  effective  plan  of  prevention 
is  to  put  a  wainscot  of  boards  upon  the  lower  part  of  the 
walls  so  slanted  outward  at  the  floor  surface  that  the  horse 
backing  to  the  wall  cannot  get  his  rump  against  any  surface 
upon  which  to  rub. 


A  Cruel  Cure  for  Heaves. 

An  old  horseman  once  told  the  writer  that  he  had  cured 
many  a  horse  of  heaves  by  simply  amputating  a  portion  of 
the  tongue.  "Guess  I've  cut  off  enough  pieces  of  tongue," 
said  he,  "to  fill  a  half  bushel  basket;"  and  he  seemed  to  take 
pride  in  a  statement  which  would  strike  any  humanitarian  as 
the  climax  of  barbarity.  The  same  man  also  strongly  advo- 
cated the  amputation  of  the  tip  of  a  horse's  tail,  when  for  any 
reason  the  animal  had  gone  down  paralyzed. 

It  always  is  well  to  examine  a  horse's  tongue  before 
buying,  as  mutilations  are  not  infrequently  met  with.  Cases 
are  on  record  where  a  brute  has  put  a  twitch  on  a  horse's 
tongue,  to  make  him  stand  still  in  the  shoeing  shop,  with  the 
result  that  a  portion  of  the  organ  has  been  torn  off  during 
the  struggles  of  the  poor  beast.  Severe  biting  of  a  fractious 
horse,  or  tearing  by  a  nail  or  other  sharp  object,  may  also 
injure  the  tongue  more  or  less  severely  and  perhaps  lessen 
the  value  of  the  animal. 

When  a  considerable  portion  of  the  tongue  has  been 
lost,  the  horse  is  unable  to  drink  without  plunging  his  head 
up  to  the  eyes  in  the  water,  and  he  also  has  difficulty  in 
grazing. 

Stitches  are  sometimes  put  in  the  tongue  of  a  horse  to 
make  it  sore  and  so  prevent  it  from  cribbing. 


HORSE  SECRETS  47 

An  Astringent  for  Scours. 

The  following  interesting  remedy  is  taken  from  the  "Com- 
plete Farrier,"  published  in  1850: 

"But  when  the  disorder  (a  scouring)  continues,  and  the 
horse's  flesh  keeps  wasting  away,  recourse  must  be  had  to 
astringents.  Tormentil  root,  dried  and  pounded  in  a  mortar, 
and  put  through  a  sieve,  is  one  of  the  best  astringents  yet 
found,  though  very  little  known.  I  heartily  wish  my  fellow 
creatures  would  make  more  use  of  this  valuable  root  than 
they  do.  The  dose  is  from  an  ounce  to  an  ounce  and  a  half. 
I  believe  that  this  valuable  root  has  done  more  good  in  my 
time,  in  stopping  looseness  and  other  bowel  complaints,  than 
anything  else." 

An  Old  Operation  for  Spavin. 

A  few  years  ago  it  was  recommended  as  a  new  treatment 
that  the  saphena  vein  be  obliterated  at  the  place  where  it 
passes  the  seat  of  spavin,  before  using  the  firing  irons.  We 
recently  ran  across  an  allusion  to  this  method  of  treatment 
which  shows  that  it  is  by  no  means  new.  It  is  referred  to  as 
follows  in  the  "Complete  Farrier  and  Horse  Doctor,"  pub- 
lished in  1850,  the  writer  being  John  C.  Knowlson,  of  New 
York,  a  nonagenarian  "horse  doctor"  of  the  old  school : 
"Before  you  fire  a  horse  for  bone-spavin,  be  careful  to  take 
the  vein  out  of  the  way,  for  it  generally  lies  over  the  spavin, 
and  you  cannot  fire  deep  enough  to  come  at  the  callous 
substance  without  its  removal.  In  order  to  destroy  the  vein, 
cut  a  nick  through  the  skin  to  the  vein,  just  below  the  spavin, 
and  another  just  above  it,  and  put  a  crooked  needle  under 
the  vein  and  tie  both  ends:  then  cut  the  vein  across  between 
the  tyings,  both  above  and  below,  and  you  may  either  draw 
out  the  piece  or  leave  it  in." 

The  same  author  says  relative  to  the  treatment  of  bog- 
spavin  :  "As  soon  as  you  discover  the  vein  puffed  up  or 
forming  a  bag,  lay  on  some  blistering  ointment,  and  in  four 
days  after  bathe  the  swelling  well  with  hot  vinegar  with  a 
little  saltpeter  dissolved  in  it.  Also  put  a  bandage  round  it 
to  disperse  the  swelling  as  much  as  you  can.  If  this  method 
does  not  succeed,  you  must  make  two  incisions  in  the  skin 
lengthwise,  as  the  vein  runs,  one  just  above  and  the  other 
just  below  the  joint,  and  lay  the  vein  bare :  then  put  the  end 
of  a  buck's  horn  under  it,  raise  it  up,  and  fasten  it  in  both 
places  with  waxed  thread ;  then  cut  the  vein  in  two  just  within 
the  tyings,  and,  if  you  think  proper,  draw  the  severed  piece 
out.  This  method  of  proceeding  will  cure  most  bog-spavins 
at  the  beginning." 


48  HORSE   SECRETS 

Facts  About  Pigment  Tumors. 

On  gray  horses  that  at  10  or  12  years  of  age  are  turning 
white  in  color,  purple-black  malignant  growths,  known  as 
pigment  of  melanotic  tumors,  frequently  appear  where  the 
skin  is  black  in  color,  and  constitute  the  disease  termed 
melanosis.  The  common  seat  of  such  tumors  is  the  skin  of  the 
tail,  anus,  vulva,  and  lips,  and  while  most  often  external,  may 
be  present  internally.  Such  tumors  are  practically  incurable, 
returning  after  having  been  amputated  and  cauterized.  They 
usually  burst  and  discharge  bloody  pus,  and  give  the  affected 
part  a  loathsome  appearance.  In  young  horses  of  gray  color, 
a  careful  examination  will  often  disclose  small  rudimentary 
tumors,  and  horses  so  affected  should  be  bought  with  a  right 
understanding  of  the  consequences.  Fatal  attacks  of  a  mys- 
terious disease  may  be  caused  by  internal  melanotic  tumors. 

As  an  indication  of  the  probability  of  these  tumors  being 
present  internally,  the  French  veterinary  scientists,  Goubaux 
and  Barrier,  say  in  their  "Exterior  of  the  Horse": 

"The  hairs  of  the  mane,  like  those  of  the  tail,  are  ordina- 
rily straight.  One  of  our  associates,  Mercier,  has  communi- 
cated a  remark  on  this  subject,  which  was  also  believed  by  the 
Arabians:  that  it  is  in  the  white  or  gray  horses  with  frizzled 
or  curly  hairs  in  which  melanotic  tumors  are  always  found  in 
the  interior  of  the  body,  although  none  may  have  any  apparent 
trace  on  the  exterior,  particularly  under  the  tail  and  around 
the  anus.  This  remark,  the  correctness  of  which  we  have 
verified  a  number  of  times,  both  on  the  living  subject  and  in 
the  cadaver,  is  very  important,  because  of  the  dangers  to  which 
animals  affected  with  melanosis  are  exposed." 


v^Ks^^pi 


HORSE   SECRETS  49 


Secrets  of  Buying'  and  Selling' 
Horses. 


Auction  Sale  Rules." 

At  the  Chicago  Stock-yards  the  auction  sales  of  horses, 
conducted  in  the  "Bull  ring,"  at  Dexter  Park,  are  regulated  by 
certain  definite  rules  which  should  be  understood  by  horsemen 
and  farmers. 

When  a  horse  is  brought  in  for  sale  a  sign  stating  how  the 
horse  is  to  be  sold  is  immediately  exposed  on  the  auctioneer's 
rostrum.  There  are  six  of  these  signs,  viz.,  (i)  Sound. 
(2)Serviceably  sound.  (3)  Wind  and  work.  (4)  Work  only. 
(5)  Legs  go.     (6)  At  the  halter. 

Terms  on  all  sales  are  strictly  cash. 

All  horses  must  be  examined  and  tried  by  purchaser  as 
soon  as  bought,  and  must  be  tried  and  accepted  on  the  premises 
during  the  day  of  sale,  as  all  guarantees  on  horses  expire  with 
that  day,  and  on  delivery  of  the  horse.  In  no  case  can  a  horse 
be  rejected  except  on  the  day  of  sale,  unless  sold  as  sound  and 
proved  to  be  a  cribber,  heavey,  crampy  or  lame.  If  proven  to 
have  any  of  the  four  named  faults,  the  purchaser  shall  have 
until  9  A.  M.  the  following  day  to  reject  the  horse.  Purchasers 
failing  to  try  and  examine  horses  within  the  required  time 
forfeit  all  right  of  rejecting  them,  and  no  horse  sold  to  wind 
and  work  shall  be  rejected  for  any  cause  except  he  proves 
windy  or  will  not  work. 

Should  any  question  arise  for  adjustment  between  buyer 
and  seller  the  matter  shall  be  referred  to  three  members  of 
the  Union  Stock-yards  Horse  Exchange,  the  decision  of  a 
majority  of  whom  shall  be  final. 

Any  person  found  guilty  of  doping  a  horse  to  hide  the 
fact  that  the  animal  is  windy,  heavey,  crampy,  cribby  or  lame, 
shall  be  expelled  from  the  market  and  prosecuted  to  trfe  full 
extent  of  the  law. 

The  following  is  an  explanation  of  the  principal  rules 
governing  sales  in  the  auction  ring: 

♦Exceptions  to  the  above  rules  may  be  announced  from  the  auction  stand  and  defects 
pointed  out,  in  which  case  they  are  recorded  and  go  with  the  horse. 


50  HORSE   SECRETS 

i.  Sound. — A  horse  sold  as  sound  must  be  perfectly 
sound  in  every  way. 

2.  Serviceably  Sound. — Must  be  virtually  a  sound  horse. 
His  wind  and  eyes  must  be  good:  he  must  not  be  lame  or  sore 
in  any  way,  but  sound,  barring  slight  blemishes,  and  these 
blemishes  must  not  constitute  any  unsoundness.  A  spot  or 
streak  in  the  eye,  which  does  not  affect  the  sight,  will  be 
considered  serviceably  sound  as  long  as  the  pupil  of  the  eye  is 
good.  A  further  explanation  is  given  as  follows  by  F.  J.  Berry 
&  Co.,  a  well-known  horse  commission  firm  at  the  Chicago 
Stock-yards:  "Blemishes  must  be  nothing  more  than  splints; 
the  horse  may  be  slightly  puffed  and  a  little  rounding  on  the 
curb  joint,  but  he  must  not  have  a  bad-looking  curb,  and  must 
not  have  a  brand.  He  may  be  a  little  cut  in  the  knees,  but 
he  must  not  stand  over  on  the  knees  or  ankles.  He  may  have 
a  little  puff  on  the  outside  of  the  hock,  but  he  must  not  have 
thoroughpin,  or  boggy-hock,  ring-bone,  or  jack,  although  he 
may  naturally  be  a  little  coarse  jointed;  but  the  front  part  of 
the  hocks  inside  must  not  be  puffed.  He  may  have  slight  scars 
or  wire  marks  but  these  must  not  cause  any  deformity  of  the 
body,  legs  or  feet,  and  must  be  nothing  more  than  a  slight 
scar.  He  must  not  have  any  scar  from  fistula  or  poll-evil.  He 
must  not  have  a  hip  down,  and  if  one  hip  is  a  trifle  lower  than  the 
other,  it  must  be  natural,  and  not  a  deformity  like  the  cap  of 
a  hip  down.  He  must  not  have  side-bone,  or  any  bad  blemishes 
that  deteriorate  his  value  more  than  a  trifle,  but  must  be  sound, 
barring  slight  blemishes  that  do  not  hurt  him  or  change  his 
value  very  little,  and  in  no  case  more  than  the  above-mentioned 
blemishes.     Car  bruises  must  be  of  a  temporary  nature. 

3.  Wind  and  Work. — A  horse  sold  to  wind  and  work, 
must  have  good  wind  and  be  a  good  worker,  and  not  a  cribber, 
but  everything  else  goes  with  him. 

4.  Work  Only. — He  must  be  a  good  worker,  but  every- 
thing else  goes  with  him.  Ability  to  work  is  the  only  thing 
guaranteed. 

5.  Legs  Go. — Everything  that  is  on  the  horse's  legs  go 
with  him.  Nothing  is  guaranteed  except  that  he  must  not  be 
lame  or  crampy.  He  must,  however,  be  serviceably  sound  in 
every  other  respect. 

6.  At  the  Halter. — Sold  just  as  he  stands  without  any 
recommendations.  He  may  be  lame,  vicious,  balky,  a  kicker 
or  anything  else.  The  title  only  is  guaranteed ;  the  purchaser 
takes  all  the  risk. 

Reputable  Dealers  Protect  Their  Patrons. 

The  horse  buyer  who  patronizes  a  reputable  commission 
firm  or  dealer  in  the  Chicago  horse  market,  or  in  any  other 


HORSE   SECRETS  51 

great  selling  centre,  will  be  honestly  and  fairly  dealt  with.  The 
rules  against  cheating  are  stringent,  and  trickery  is  not  coun- 
tenanced among  the  leaders  of  the  trade.  Doping  an  unsound 
horse  may  be  punished  by  expulsion  from  the  market,  and 
tricks,  like  the  application  of  "soup"  to  make  a  horse  act  mean, 
are  prohibited  on  "horse  row."  It  is  when  a  buyer  deals  with 
a  "scalper"  who  conducts  his  business  "under,  his  hat,"  or 
patronizes  the  dealers  who  conduct  a  questionable  business  at 
small  sales  stables  on  the  side  streets  near  the  stock-yards, 
that  he  may  expect  to  get  "the  short  end  of  the  deal,"  and  we 
would  strongly  advise  our  readers  to  give  such  dealers  and 
sales  stables  a  wide  berth. 

As  an  illustration  of  how  dishonesty  is  regarded  among 
horsemen  in  some  of  the  markets,  the  following  well-authenti- 
cated incident  may  be  told.  In  Kansas  City  a  horse  that  had 
been  overdosed  with  drugs  to  conceal  the  symptoms  of  heaves 
dropped  dead  while  climbing  an  incline.  The  story  of  the 
"accident"  spread  through  the  market,  and  the  next  morning, 
when  the  owner  of  the  drugged  horse  offered  another  of  his 
animals  in  the  auction  ring,  the  auctioneer  is  said  to  have 
stopped,  told  the  story  to  the  audience,  pointed  out  the  man 
who  gave  the  drugs  and  the  owner,  and  added,  "Now,  this 
man  has  a  load  of  horses  to  sell  to-day  and  you  folks  can  be 
your  own  judges  about  buying  them." 

The  seller  from  the  country  is  as  likely  to  "put  up  a  job" 
on  the  commission  man  or  dealer  as  the  latter  is  to  cheat  the 
greenhorn  buyer,  and  we  agree  with  Dr.  Hawley,  who  says : 
"Horsemen  in  general  are  not  more  dishonest  than  men  in 
any  other  branch  of  business  which  offers  like  opportunities 
for  trickery;  neither  do  I  believe  they  are  more  dishonest 
than  the  men  who  buy  from  them." 

Two  Sides  to  a  Horse. 

When  a  horse  is  first  led  out  for  the  intending  buyer  to 
examine  him  in  the  dealer's  stable,  it  is  a  common  trick  to 
stand  the  animal  close  against  a  wall.  By  this  means  objec- 
tionable features  of  the  "other  side  of  the  picture"  are  hidden, 
and  the  pleasing  aspects  of  the  proposition,  plain  to  the  eye 
and  hand  of  the  purchaser,  alone  are  considered  by  him  in 
making  his  choice.  If  the  horse  is  sold  subject  to  such 
examination  and  without  a  written  guaranty,  there  is  no 
recourse  for  the  purchaser  when,  perchance,  the  next  hour  or 
day  he  finds  on  the  off  side  of  the  horse  a  "wall-eye,"  a  brand 
mark,  a  big  shoe  boil,  a  knocked-down  hip,  a  fistula  of  the 
withers,  or  some  other  objectionable  and  troublesome  or  even 
seriously  hurtful  blemish  or  condition. 


52  HORSE   SECRETS 

The  intending  purchaser  should  get  the  horse  away  from 
the  wall  and  make  a  tour  of  inspection  around  him,  looking 
carefully  at  every  part  and  detail,  and  then  using  the  hand, 
if  necessary,  to  corroborate  or  correct  what  the  eye  has  seen 
or  suspected.  It  is  always  best  to  look  at  the  horse  from  a 
little  distance  before  closing  in,  and  making  a  more  careful 
inspection.  Close  inspection  deals  with  minute  things,  and 
may  make  one  overlook  or  fail  to  see  bigger  and  more  import- 
ant things  which  would  appeal  to  the  eye  when  taking  in  the 
entire  side  of  the  horse  at  a  look. 

When  a  dealer  is  extra  particular  to  draw  attention  to  one 
side  of  the  animal,  take  it  for  granted  that  there  is  something 
on  the  other  side  which  is  worth  looking  into. 


A  Little  111  to  Distract  Attention  from  a  Big  One. 

Often  we  have  seen  tricks  such  as  the  following  practised 
in  the  "bull  ring"  at  the  stock-yards.  A  horse  having  a  small 
spot  or  speck  in  its  eye  which  does  not  implicate  the  pupil,  is 
sold  to  "wind  and  work"  (See  Auction  rule  No.  3,  page  50). 

The  grooms  and  ringmen  loudly  draw  the  attention  of 
the  audience  to  the  condition  of  the  eye,  and  repeatedly  assert 
that  it  does  not  amount  to  anything.  This  is  done  on  purpose 
to  distract  attention  from  some  far  more  serious  defect  that 
otherwise  would  be  noticed  by  the  prospective  buyer.  Dr. 
Hawley  says  of  this  scheme,  "The  horse  is  kept  constantly  in 
motion  with  the  whip.  The  auctioneer  and  salesman  are  always 
looking  for  an  angel  to  drop  in,  and  one  usually  does.  The 
horse  is  ordinarily  sold  to  the  angel  on  his  first  bid." 


Beware  of  Hoof  Dressing. 

When  the  hoofs  of  a  sale  horse  are  seen  to  be  newly 
daubed  with  black  hoof  dressing,  polish,  or  varnish,  look  out ! 
or  rather,  look  in!  for  there  may  be  vital  need  of  the  artificial 
coating  to  hide  serious  defects.  The  dressing,  if  wet,  will  soil 
the  examiner's  hands,  hence  he  will  be  less  likely  to  handle 
the  feet  and  therefore  fails  to  discover  that  a  quarter  crack  or 
sand  crack  has  been  concealed,  or  the  fact  that  the  hoof  has 
been  rasped  extensively  for  the  removal  of  the  rings  and  ridges 
that  if  exposed  to  the  notice  of  the  prospective  buyer,  would 
tell  a  plain  story  of  chronic  founder. 

The  sound,  healthy,  waxy  appearing  hoof  needs  no  coloring 
or  dressing  material,  and  when  such  things  are  freely  used 
they  are  often  applied  to  hide  the  marks  of  the  rasp. 


HORSE  SECRETS  53 

Buying  a  Pair. 

While  a  properly  matched  and  trained  pair  of  carriage 
horses  should  "act  like  one  horse"  when  in  motion,  the  buyer 
should  be  careful  to  examine  each  horse  carefully  "to  halter." 
The  two  animals  should  be  capable  of  being  harnessed  to  the 
carriage  indifferently  to  the  right  or  left,  and  no  attention 
should  be  paid  to  the  observations  of  the  dealer,  who  may 
explain  how  they  have  been  accustomed  to  be  driven  always 
on  the  same  side,  and  who,  as  a  rule,  will  harness  the  better 
one  of  the  two  horses  on  the  left  side,  and  the  poorer  one  on 
the  right.  The  examiner  naturally  pays  most  attention  to  the 
left  horse,  but  he  should  examine  each  in  a  thorough  manner, 
for  it  often  happens  when  this  is  done  that  one  horse  is  found 
to  be  of  far  inferior  quality  and  of  less  value  than  its  mate,  on 
the  "nigh  side." 

A  "  High  English"  Guaranty. 

A  thrifty  German  truck  farmer  once  called  the  writer  to 
examine  a  newly  bought  work  horse  and  to  give  him  "a  line'' 
so  that  he  would  be  able  to  get  his  money  back  from  the  dealer, 
the  animal  having  proved  unsound.  "I  have  me  a  written 
guaranty  and  a  witness  that  he  been  all  right,"  said  he,  "and 
now  you  help  me  oudt  mit  a  line."  An  examination  showed 
that  the  horse  was  terribly  afflicted  with  heaves,  accompanied 
with  coughing  and  passing  of  gas.  He  heaved  so  hard  that  his 
entire  body  shook,  and  the  squeaking  of  the  breathing  appara- 
tus was  easily  heard.  Evidently  the  horse  had  been  skilfully 
"shut"  or  doped  by  the  seller,  and  now  that  the  effects  of  the 
treatment  had  passed  off  the  unsoundness  showed  up  plainly. 
Asked  for  his  "guaranty,"  the  farmer  kept  iterating  and 
reiterating  his  statement  that  it  was  all  right  and  duly  witnessed. 
At  last  he  produced  it,  and  it  read  to  this  effect,  "This  horse  is 
hereby  guaranteed  free  from  all  encumbrances." 

"Do  you  know  what  'encumbrances'  means?"  he  was  asked, 
and  the  answer  was,  "No,  I  don't  know  such  high  English 
words,  but  I  guess  it  means  sound  and  all  righdt  in  wint  and 
limb,  and  to  work,  aind't  it?" 

He  got  his  "line,"  and  by  paying  $80  to  boot  brought 
back  another  horse  with  a  less  comprehensive  but  more  satis- 
factory guaranty. 

Moral:  It  is  best  to  understand  "high  English"  and  the 
language  and  ways  of  the  dealer  when  buying  a  horse  at  the 
yards,  so  that  a  written  guaranty  may  really  protect  the  buyer. 


54  HORSE   SECRETS 

An  Unsound  Horse  Sometimes  a  Good  Bargain. 

Some  kinds  of  unsoundness  render  a  horse  useless  for  work 
on  the  hard  streets  of  the  city,  yet  do  not  unfit  him  for  work 
on  the  soft  land  of  the  farm.  Where  this  is  the  case,  it  will 
often  pay  the  farmer  whose  pocketbook  is  not  particularly  well 
filled  to  pass  by  the  young,  soft,  untried,  expensive  horses  that 
have  been  specially  fattened  to  bring  high  prices  and  buy  a 
second-handed  horse  at  a  bargain  price. 

For  example,  suppose  a  big,  strong  gelding,  getting  along 
in  years,  has  four  well-developed  side-bones  which  render 
him  stilty  and  stiff  in  gait  for  city  use,  and  which  on  that 
account  is  offered  for  $80,  or  thereabout.  Such  a  horse  may 
prove  a  profitable  purchase  for  use  on  the  land.  Were  he 
sound  he  would  sell  readily  for  $125  or  over,  for  city  work, 
and  when  bought  at  a  discount  of  $45  he  will  very  likely  do 
more  and  better  work  on  the  farm  than  would  a  sound,  young, 
fattened,  inexperienced  horse  at  the  higher  figure. 

In  making  this  statement  the  writer  has  in  mind  more 
than  one  corroborative  instance  of  the  sort  in  practise. 

A  Second-Hand  Horse. 

The  owner  who  wants  to  sell  his  horse  on  the  market 
should  not  clip  off  the  mane  and  forelock,  and  it  is  a  mistake 
even  to  cut  the  latter  or  to  bang  the  tail.  The  stock-yard 
buyers,  having  special  market  requirements  to  meet,  prefer  to 
do  their  own  "toilet  work"  on  the  horses  they  buy,  and  will 
pass  by  an  otherwise  good  horse  if  he  has  been  trimmed  in 
a  manner  to  which  they  object. 

A  horse  that  has  had  the  mane  and  forelock  clipped  off  is 
looked  upon  with  suspicion  on  arrival  at  the  market,  and  is 
likely  to  be  termed  "second-hand,"  meaning  that  he  probably 
has  been  tried  out  in  a  fire  department  and  found  wanting.  It 
is  therefore  disastrous  policy  to  "roach"  a  horse  before  he  has 
been  thoroughly  tested  and  found  sound  and  suitable. 

Here  is  a  case  corroborative  of  this  assertion:  A  fine 
gelding  was  bought  for  a  fire  department  after  a  fairly  thorough 
test  for  "wind."  While  being  led  a  long  distance  behind  a 
sulky  from  the  country  to  the  city  the  horse  became  fractious 
and  broke  away  from  the  driver.  On  arrival  in  the  city  he  was 
immediately  taken  to  the  engine-house  and  met  with  the 
unanimous  approval  of  the  fire  laddies  and  chief.  The  next 
morning  the  mane  and  foretop  were  clipped  off  and  the  horse 
was  then  sent  out  for  a  practise  run.  At  once  he  proved 
terribty  nervous  and  a  rank  roarer  when  in  motion,  but 
perfectly  sound  in  wind  the  moment  he  stood  at  ease. 


HORSE  SECRETS  55 

The  commissioner  who  bought  the  horse  at  once  took  him 
back,  refunded  the  purchase  price,  and  sent  him  to  the  stock- 
yards. There  he  was  instantly  dubbed  "second-handed";  ran  up 
a  bill  of  expense  for  his  owner  who  could  not  find  a  buyer  and 
finally  contracted  stock-yards  distemper  in  virulent  form. 
Eventually  the  animal  was  sold  for  less  than  half  the  purchase 
price  and  expense  account,  but  not  until  the  mane  had  grown 
in  again  sufficiently  to  disarm  suspicion.  Removing  the  mane 
or  foretop  will  be  certain  to  detract  from  the  value  of  the 
horse  in  the  market. 

"Protecting"  the  Buyer. 

In  some  sales-stables,  when  a  coachman  commissioned  by 
a  rich  layman  to  purchase  a  single  horse,  or  match  a  pair  in  his 
behalf,  has  stated  his  needs,  looked  over  a  few  animals,  and 
hinted  at  what  he  can  afford  to  pay,  he  is  asked  by  the  dealer: 
"How  much  shall  I  protect  you?''  That  means  how  much 
commission  will  you  expect  if  the  deal  is  consummated;  and 
the  coachman  is  not  slow  to  ask  a  handsome  rake-off.  Another 
plan  of  making  a  profit,  is  to  get  as  low  a  price  or  option  as 
possible  from  the  dealer,  and  then  add  a  profit  by  having  the 
seller  charge  a  higher  price  than  the  option  and  afterward  hand 
the  balance  to  the  buyer's  agent.  Unless  the  commissioner 
is  paid  a  special  fee  by  his  employer  for  making  the  purchase, 
these  methods  of  making  living  wages  for  the  work  involved 
in  the  deal  are  considered  perfectly  legitimate  by  men  con- 
nected with  the  horse  markets. 


Splitting  the  Profit  Three  Ways. 

In  the  great  horse  markets,  when  a  gentleman's  coachman, 
or  a  man  who  is  deemed  by  him  to  be  an  expert  judge,  is 
commissioned  to  buy  a  certain  style  of  horse  at  not  over  a 
stated  price,  the  expert  can  easily  arrange  to  make  a  double 
profit.  He  seeks  out  some  scalper  friend,  and  gives  him  a 
detailed  description  of  the  sort  of  horse  wanted.  The  scalper 
then  visits  the  stable  of  his  associates  in  the  business,  selects  a 
horse  that  "looks  like  the  job"  and  secures  an  option  on  him 
at  a  price  considerably  lower  than  the  buyer  has  said  he  will 
be  willing  to  pay.  He  now  brings  in  the  expert,  and  if  the 
horse  suits  that  worthy,  he  is  purchased  at  the  option  price 
and  turned  over  to  the  employer  of  the  expert  at  his  specified 
price  or  a  trifle  less.  Then  the  scalper  and  the  expert  divide  the 
profit,  or  if  another  man  "on  the  inside"  has  been  used  in  the 
deal,  the  profit  is  "split  three  ways,"  to  give  him  a  slice.    The 


56  HORSE   SECRETS 

buyer  is  usually  well  satisfied  with  his  bargain,  and  probably 
could  not  have  bought  the  horse  cheaper  at  first  hand. 


A  Glossary  of  Market  Terms. 

In  each  of  the  great  horse  markets  of  the  country  certain 
technical,  trade  and  slang  terms  are  used  in  speaking  of  horses, 
and  the  intending  buyer  will  do  well  to  familiarize  himself 
with  them,  else  he  may  learn  their  meaning  by  dear-bought 
experience.  In  preparing  the  following  glossary  many  of 
the  terms  explained  are  such  as  one  hears  in  the  Chicago 
market  and  elsewhere,  and  the  writer  has  also  freely  quoted 
from  an  article  entitled,  "The  Veterinary  Horse  Buyer,"  from 
the  pen  of  Dr.  H.  W.  Hawley,  V.  S.,  in  the  Chicago  Veterinary 
College  "Quarterly  Bulletin"  for  June,  1903,  and  from  Bulle- 
tin No.  122  of  the  Illinois  Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  in 
which  Prof.  Rufus  C.  Obrecht  deals  elaborately  and  instruct- 
ively with  the  subject  of  "Market  Classes  and  Grades  of 
Horses  and  Mules."  In  many  instances  it  has  been  thought 
well  to  explain  technical  matters  relating  to  practical  subjects 
as  well  as  to  interpret  the  special  term  used  by  horsemen. 

A  Bull. — If  a  horse  grunts  when  stood  against  a  wall  and 
threatened  with  a  stick  or  whip,  he  is  called  a  bull  (or  grunter) 
and  by  many  is  considered  unsound  in  wind,  or  a  roarer.  The 
test  is  not  conclusive,  as  not  all  roarers  grunt  and  many  sound 
horses  grunt  when  so  treated,  or  even  when  the  rider  places 
his  foot  in  the  stirrup.  It  is  also  used  to  describe  a  wind- 
broken  horse  that  chokes  at  work.  A  heavey  horse  does  not 
grunt  when  tested  in  the  above  mentioned  manner. 

A  Bull  Heaver. — A  bad  choker. 

A  Canard. — A  bit  windy. 

A  Cold  Collar.— Balky. 

Afraid  of  the  Floor. — Has  chorea,  or  St.  Vitus'  dance. 

A  Gravel. — Suppurating  corn.    It  is  not  due  to  gravel. 

A  Little  Careless. — Knees  bent  forward,  or  sprung. 

A  Little  Coarse  or  Full  in  the  Hock. — Spavin. 

A  Little  Nappy. — A  little  balky,  or  a  dummy. 

A  Little  Ouchey. — Founder,  or  navicular  disease. 

A  Little  Strong  in  the  Mouth. — A  cribber. 

A  Little  Stamp  On. — Branded. 

A  Little  Reading  on  Him. — Branded. 

A  Little  Rounding. — Curb. 

A  Hole  In. — There  is  "a  hole  in"  a  horse  when  he  has 
some  defect  temporarily  non-apparent. 

An  Angel. — A  greenhorn  buyer  who  bids  on  an  unsound 
horse.    He  usually  gets  him  on  his  first  bid. 


HORSE   SECRETS  57 

At  the  Halter. — "Sold  to  halter,"  or  "at  the  halter"  means 
without  guarantee  of  any  kind.  The  horse  likely  will  be  wild, 
balky,  unmanageable  or  so  unsound  as  to  be  useless. 

Beefy  Hocks. — Coarse,  meaty  hocks  having  too  much 
connective  and  adipose  tissue.  The  hock  should  be  clean, 
hard,  free  from  beefiness,  puffs  and  bony  growths. 

Bellows  to  Mend. — Wind-broken ;  heaves. 

Bench-Legged. — Knees  bent  toward  one  another. 

Blind-Spavin. — Occult  or  hidden  spavin  among  bones 
composing  hock  joint. 

Blue  Eye. — Eye  showing  a  bluish  or  pearly  cast,  indicat- 
ing unsoundness  and  disease  which  may  or  may  not  have 
caused  blindness. 

Bobber  or  Jig  Back. — Weak  loins  causing  bobbing  or 
wobbling  of  the  hind  quarters. 

Boggy  in  Hocks. — Distension  of  the  capsular  ligament  of 
the  hock  joint  indicated  by  a  large  or  small,  soft,  fluctuating, 
synovia-filled  swelling  at  the  front  of  joint.  Such  hocks 
appear  dropsical.  The  condition  constitutes  bog-spavin,  and 
by  some  is  termed  wind-puff  or  wind-gall. 

Bowed  Tendon. — A  thickened,  bulging  unsoundness  of 
the  back  tendons  (flexors).     Caused  by  an  injury. 

Broken  Crest. — Coarse,  thick,  broken  over  crest  under 
mane.  Seen  in  stallions.  Sometimes  used  to  mean  fistulous 
withers. 

Broken  Down. — Fetlock  bending  too  near  ground,  or 
tendency  of  toe  to  turn  up  as  a  result  of  injury  to  the  tendons. 
Cause  of  acute  lameness  at  time  of  accident. 

Broken  Knees. — Scarred  knees  showing  results  of  a  fall. 
May  be  new  or  chronic.    Especially  objectionable  in  saddlers. 

Buck-Kneed. — Knees  bent  forward. 

Buck-Shinned. — Bulging  profile  of  front  of  cannon  bones. 

Bull  Pen. — A  horse  auction  sale  ring. 

Burglar  or  Robber. — This  is  an  expression  used  by  "gyp" 
dealers  to  denote  a  good-looking  horse  with  some  slight  defect 
which  they  can  remedy  temporarily.  This  horse  is  sold,  the 
buyer  discovers  his  defect  in  a  short  time  and  brings  him 
back  and  trades  him  in  or  sells  him  at  a  reduced  price.  Such 
a  horse  is  stock  in  trade  and  the  "gyps"  sell  him  over  and  over 
again,  trade  him  in  and  make  money  on  him  every  time. 

Calf-Kneed. — Opposite  of  buck-knees.  Knees  bent  back- 
ward. 

Capped  Hock. — New  and  sore,  or  old  and  painless,  swell- 
ing or  callous  of  the  point  of  the  hock  joint ;  due  to  bruise. 

Careless. — A  horse  is  "a  little  careless"  when  he  stands 
with  knees  sprung. 


58  HORSE   SECRETS 

Car  Bruise. — Swellings,  tumors,  abscesses,  on  parts  likely 
to  have  been  bruised  in  shipping.  Sometimes  an  excuse  for 
such  things  not  so  caused. 

Cartilage. — A  prominent  lateral  cartilage  at  quarter  of 
foot.    May  or  may  not  be  a  side-bone. 

Chest  Founder. — Wasting  or  falling  in  of  muscles  of  front 
of  chest. 

Chestnut. — The  horny  projection  found  upon  the  lower 
inner  aspect  of  the  forearm  and  lower  inner  aspect  of  the 
hock  joint.  Considered  a  vestige  of  an  additional  hoof  of  the 
prehistoric  horse. 

Clefty;  Clifty. — Flat,  clean,  fine  quality  cannon  bones. 

Coarse-Footed. — Having  side-bones. 

Cocked  Ankle. — Fore  or  hind  ankles  (fetlocks)  bent  for- 
ward. Common  in  young,  overfed  and  under-exercised  colts. 
When  chronic,  indicates  shortening  of  flexor  tendons  and 
sometimes  high  ringbone. 

Cold-Footed. — "A  little  cold-footed"  means  stringhalt. 

Coon-Footed. — Long,  sloping  pasterns,  throwing  fetlocks 
low. 

Coupling. — The  region  of  the  lumbar  vertebrae,  loins,  or 
space  between  last  rib  and  hip. 

Cow-Hocked. — Standing  like  a  cow  with  hocks  together 
and  toes  turned  out. 

Crampy. — Chorea,  St.  Vitus'  dance,  or  slight  stringhalt. 
The  affected  animal  jerks  up  a  hind  leg  on  backing  out  of  stall, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  tail  elevates  and  quivers,  and  the 
muscles  shiver. 

Crest  Fallen. — Broken  over  crest  under  heavy  mane. 
Often  means  fistulous  withers. 

Cribber. — A  horse  that  fixes  his  teeth  or  rests  his  chin  on 
any  object  and  then  sucks  wind. 

Crock. — Old,  crippled  horse. 

Cross-Firing. — Striking  one  fore  foot  with  opposite  hind 
foot  when  trotting. 

Curb. — A  bulging  enlargement  at  back  of  hind  leg  just 
below  hock  and  resulting  from  an  injury  to  the  tendon  and  its 
6heath. 

Curby-Formed  Hock. — An  acutely  bent  or  set  hock  giving 
a  sickle  appearance.    Hind  feet  are  thrown  too  far  under  body. 

Cushion. — A  small  puff  toward  front  of  outer  side  of  hind 
cannon  just  below  hock  joint. 

Cutting. — Interfering  or  striking  with  feet  on  joints. 

Cut  in  the  Wind. — "The  least  bit  in  the  world"  unsound  in 
wind. 

Dead  Spavin  or  Ringbone. — Lameness  of  spavin  or  ring- 


HORSE  SECRETS  59 

bone  subsided  as  a  result  of  firing  and  blistering,  or  other 
treatment. 

Dimple. — Point  of  hips  lightly  deformed  by  accident  con- 
stitutes a  "little  dimple,"  slightly  hipped. 

Dizzy. — A  dummy. 

Docked. — Having  had  part  of  tail  amputated. 

Docked  and  Set  Up. — By  operation  the  tail  is  made  to 
carry  high,  after  being  docked. 

Droop  Croup. — Short,  steep  croup ;  tail  set  low. 

Dropped  Soles. — Bulging,  or  convexity  of  soles  at  points 
of  frogs,  due  to  descent  of  pedal  bone  in  acute  founder. 

Dummy. — Softening  of  the  brain  following  sunstroke  or 
heat  exhaustion.  Horse  is  dull,  sleepy,  stupid ;  takes  hay  into 
the  mouth  and  forgets  to  chew  it ;  and  if  the  fore  feet  are  placed 
crossing  one  another,  they  may  be  kept  in  that  position 
indefinitely. 

Ergot. — The  horny  spur  located  at  the  back  of  the  fetlock 
joint.  The  ergot  is  considered  a  vestige  of  an  additional  hoof 
of  the  prehistoric  horse. 

Ewe-Neck. — Low  crest  with  head  held  in  straight  line  and 
marked  depression  in  front  of  withers. 

Falls  Out  of  Bed. — Pulls  back  on  halter  rope. 

Feet  Sore  from  the  Planks. — Has  chorea ;  a  shiverer. 

Family  Broke. — Takes  the  whole  family  to  drive  him. 

Feather  in  Eye. — Scar  on  eyeball,  due  to  cut ;  it  does  not 
necessarily  impair  vision. 

Filled  Hocks. — Swelling  of  joints,  indicating  poor  circula- 
tion, grossness.  As  a  market  term,  it  may  mean  bog-spavin 
and  thoroughpin. 

Fistula. — Fistulous  withers.  An  abscess  with  opening 
discharging  pus  from  sinuses  (pipes)  connecting  with  diseased 
tissues  of  the  withers. 

Fitty. — Has  fits  when  hot. 

Fiat-Footed. — Low  heels,  dropped  sole ;  founder. 

Forging. — Noisily  striking  the  fore  shoe  with  toe  of  hind 
shoe  when  traveling. 

Founder. — Laminitis.  Inflammation  of  the  sensitive 
laminae  of  the  foot,  leading  to  lameness,  dropped  soles,  rings 
and  ridges  in  hoof  wall  and  tendency  to  walk  on  heels. 

Freezer. — A  palsied  horse;  "hind  feet  froze  to  the  floor." 

Glass-Eye. — Amaurosis  or  palsy  of  the  sight  in  which, 
from  paralysis  of  the  optic  nerve  and  retina,  the  eye  is  stone 
blind,  yet  bright,  lustrous  and  prominent.  The  pupil  is  widely 
dilated  and  does  not  contract  when  exposed  to  brigh  light. 
As  a  market  term,  may  mean  cataract,  watch-eye,  wall-eye,  or 
that  condition  in  which  the  iris  is  pearly  white  in  color  and  not 
necessarily  diseased. 


60  HORSE    SECRETS 

Gill  Flirt. — Perineum  between  rectum  and  vagina  lacer- 
ated at  foaling  so  as  to  unite  passages. 

Goosey. — A  horse  that  is  nervous  in  the  stall. 

Goose  Rump. — A  short,  steep  croup  and  narrow  at  the 
point  of  the  buttock. 

Go  Down,  or  Kidney  Faller. — Collapses  in  hind  quarters 
when  worked. 

Gristle. — A  forming  side-bone  or  enlargement  of  the  lateral 
cartilage  due  to  tread,  bruise  or  wire  cut. 

Guinea. — A  Greek  or  Italian  buyer. 

Hand. — Four  inches.  Width  of  the  palm  of  the  hand, 
used  in  measuring  the  height  of  a  horse  from  the  ground 
surface  at  the  sole  of  the  foot  to  the  highest  point  of  withers. 

Hand   Stick. — Used  for  measuring  the  height  of  horse. 

Heaves;  Heavey. — "Broken  wind,"  or  "emphysema  of  the 
lungs,"  characterized  by  coughing,  passing  of  gas  from  the 
rectum,  and  double  bellows-like  the  action  of  the  abdominal 
muscles  in  breathing. 

Head  Strong. — Halter  puller  in  stall. 

High  Blower. — Broken  winded  or  may  be  soft  from  feed- 
ing and  idleness. 

Hillside. — Hipped. 

Hipped. — Point  of  hip-bone  (ilium)  fractured  (knocked 
down),  making  that  hip  lower  than  the  other  when  viewed 
from  the  rear,  and  not  unusually  a  serious  unsoundness.  When 
distortion  is  great,  the  shaft  of  the  ilium  may  have  been 
fractured.  The  latter  condition  may  render  a  mare  unfit  for 
breeding  purposes. 

Hip  Sweeny. — Wasting  (atrophy)  of  the  muscles  of  the 
hip.  Often  serious  in  mares,  being  associated  with  fracture  of 
the  pelvis,  and  unfitting  them  for  breeding  purposes. 

Hitch. — Stride  of  one  hind  leg  too  short. 

Hog-Back. — Arched  or  roached-back.  The  opposite  of 
sway  back  or  hollow  back. 

Interfering. — Striking  the  fetlock  or  cannon  with  the 
opposite  foot  as  it  passes,  either  in  front  or  behind,  or  it  may 
be  an  "ankle  knocker." 

Jack. — A  small,  round,  bone-spavin.  As  a  market  term, 
often  applied  to  a  prominent  spavin. 

Jibber. — A  green,  raw,  unguidable  horse. 

iKnee-Banger. — Knees  interfere. 

Lady-Toed. — Cow-hocked  horse.  They  are  almost  sure 
to  hit  their  fetlocks,  shins  or  knees. 

Legs  Go. — See  Market  Rules  No.  5. 

Light  in  the  Timber. — Light  boned  below  knees  and 
hocks. 

Little  Green. — Awkward,  poorly  broken ;  may  not  pull. 


HORSE  SECRETS  6l 

Lop  Ear. — Ears  dropping  over.     May  be  a  dummy. 

Lugger. — Pulls  or  lugs  on  the  bit. 

Lunker. — An  exceptionally  big,  heavy-boned  horse. 

Makes  a  Little  Noise. — A  slight  roarer  or  whistler. 

Mallenders. — Scurfy  or  eczematous  condition  of  skin  back 
of  knees. 

Mecatched. — Jewish  term  for  a  heavey  horse. 

Mechanical  Choker. — A  horse  that  roars  when  pulling  a 
heavy  load  uphill,  by  getting  the  chin  down  to  the  chest,  but 
is  otherwise  sound. 

Megrims. — Fits  ;  staggers  ;  sudden  falling. 

Michigan  Age. — Old. 

Michigan  Pad. — See  Cushion.  A  puff  on  forward  edge  of 
hind  cannon  just  below  hock. 

Moon-Blind;  Moon-Eyed. — Eyes  diseased  or  blind  from 
periodic  or  recurrent  ophthalmia. 

Mug. — A  greenhorn  or  buyer  from  the  country. 

Nicked. — Tail  operated  upon  by  severing  the  muscles  to 
"set  up"  or  straighten  it. 

Nickel's  Worth  of  Hair  Off.— Wire  cut. 

Nigger-Heeled. — Front  toes  turned  out;  heels   in. 

Old  Skin  or  Skate. — Aged,  decrepit,  or  worn-out  horse. 

One  Bum  Lamp. — One  eye  blind,  diseased  or  unsound. 

Outside  Cushion. — Same  as  Cushion  or  Michigan  Pad. 

Over-Reach. — Stride  takes  hind  feet  farther  forward  than 
the  point  at  which  the  fore  ones  were  picked  up. 

Paddle. — "Winging"  out  with  fore  feet. 

Palsy. — Shiverer;  chorea. 

Parrot  Mouth. — Upper  incisor  (pincher)  teeth  protruding 
over  lower  incisors.  Upper  jaw  longer  and  projecting  over 
under  jaw. 

Pig-Eye. — Small,  retracted  eyes.  Characteristic  of  some 
horses  of  French  breed.     May  indicate  imperfect  vision. 

Pigeon-Toed. — Front  toes  turned  in.  Opposite  of  nigger- 
heeled. 

Pilgrim. — An  old,  worn-out  horse.  A  good  old  "has  been." 

Pin-Hipped. — Hipped  from  fracture  of  point  of  ilium. 

Pink-Eye. — Pinky,  as  a  market  term,  applied  to  moon 
blindness.  Correctly  speaking,  epizootic,  cellulitis,  or  influenza, 
especially  affecting  the  membranes  of  the  eyes. 

Plug. — An  old,  worn-out  horse,  or  one  of  poor  shape. 

Poll-Evil. — Swelling  and  abscess,  similar  to  fistulous 
withers,  affecting  poll  of  head. 

Pones. — Lumps  of  fat  on  body  of  mule. 

Posting. — Rider  rising  and  falling  in  saddle  with  each 
alternate  step  of  horse  when  trotting. 

Puffs. — Soft  swellings  involving  joints  or  tendons.    Dis- 


62  HORSE   SECRETS 

tensions  of  synovial  bursal  and  capsular  ligaments.  Thorough- 
pins,  wind-galls,  bog-spavin. 

Quarter  Crack. — Fissure  in  wall  of  hoof  running  from  hair 
toward  sole  at  quarter. 

Quittor. — Enlargement  of  the  hoof  head  (coronet)  having 
one  or  more  openings  (pipes  or  sinuses)  discharging  pus  and 
connecting  with  diseased  cartilage  or  other  tissues. 

Rat  Tail. — Slim,  almost  hairless  tail. 

Rejects. — Horses  returned  to  seller  on  account  Of  unsound- 
ness, or  for  other  reasons. 

Rickety. — Horse  affected  with  rickets  (rachitis).  Same  as 
Bobber  or  Jig  Back. 

Ridgeling.  Original. — Cryptorchid.  Testicles  retained  in 
abdomen  or  inguinal  canal. 

Ringbone. — A  bony  growth  (exostosis)  affecting  the  long 
or  short  pastern  bones  and  coffin  bones. 

Ripper. — An  unusually  good,  big  horse. 

Roach  Mane. — Mane  cut  short. 

Roarer. — Horse  makes  a  roaring  noise  when  exhaling  air, 
the  condition  being  due  to  paralysis  affecting  the  nerves  and 
cartilages  of  larynx.    (Laryngeal  hemiplegia.) 

Sallenders. — Scurfy  or  eczematous  condition  of  the  skin 
in  front  of  hock  joint. 

Sand-Crack. — A  fissure  of  the  wall  of  the  hoof  at  the  toe. 

Scalper. — A  horse  dealer  who  handles  cheap  or  question- 
able horses  .  He  may  have  no  regular  stable  or  business  head- 
quarters. 

Scalping. — Striking  front  of  hind  coronet,  pastern  or  can- 
non against  front  toe  when  speeding. 

Seam  in  Foot. — Blemish,  old  scar,  or  healed  crack  in  the 
hoof  wall. 

Seedy-Toe. — Separation  between  wall  and  sensitive 
laminae  of  hoof  at  toe,  the  space  being  filled  with  white,  dry, 
powdery  horn;  sometimes  with  pus;  "toe  clip"  is  a  common 
cause. 

Serpentine. — A  horse  that  extends  and  withdraws  his 
tongue  as  a  serpent. 

Serviceably  Sound. — See  No.  2,  Auction  Rules.  The  term 
is  incorrect,  as  a  horse  is  either  sound  or  unsound. 

Shadow  Jumper. — Nervous,  skittish;  afraid  of  his  own 
shadow. 

Shell-Bone. — Side-bone. 

Shipping  Fever. — Influenza  contracted  on  cars,  or  it  may 
be  acclimation  fever. 

Shaky  in  Stall. — A  shiverer. 

Shiverer. — Afflicted  with  chorea  (St.  Vitus'  dance). 

Shoe  Boil. — A  serious  abscess,  or  open  pus  discharging 


HORSE  SECRETS  63 

sore  or  tumor  of  the  point  of  the  elbow.  Caused  by  the  horse 
bruising  the  elbow  upon  the  floor,  not  necessarily  upon  the 
heel  of  a  shoe,  as  commonly  supposed. 

Short  Leet. — The  best  horse  selected  by  the  judges  from 
a  number  of  competing  animals  in  the  show  ring,  and  among 
which  the  prizes  are  distributed  after  further  examination. 

Sickle  Hock. — See  curby-formed  hock. 

Side-Bone. — A  lateral  cartilage  of  foot  at  quarter,  turned 
to  bone  (ossified). 

Side  Wheeler. — A  pacer. 

Siffon. — Jewish  horse-dealers'  word  (spelling  in  doubt) 
meaning  to  run  in  bids  on  a  greenhorn  to  boost  price  of  horse. 

Slab-Sided.— Flat-ribbed. 

Smokes  His  Pipe. — Lip  torn  where  bridle  bit  rests. 

Smoky  Eye. — "A  little  smoky."  Eye  cloudy,  whitish, 
pearly  in  color,  or  opaque. 

Smooth  Mouth. — Cups  or  marks  worn  off  incisor  teeth, 
indicating  great  age. 

Spavin. — Bony  enlargement  or  exostosis  upon  lower, 
inner,   front   aspect   of   hock   joint. 

Speck  in  Eye. — A  small  scar  of  spot,  not  on  pupil,  and  as 
a  rule,  not  impairing  vision. 

Speedy  Cutting. — Striking  the  inside  of  the  hind  cannon 
against  the  front  foot  as  the  hind  is  brought  forward  and 
passes  the  front  foot  on  the  outside  in  over-reaching  when  the 
horse  is  speeding. 

Splay-Footed. — "Nigger-heeled." 

Splint. — A  bony  growth  on  course  of  splint-bone  on  either 
side  of  cannon-bone  below  the  knee. 

Split  Hoof. — Quarter-crack.     Sand-crack. 

Stag;  Staggy. — Thick  and  coarse  in  throat-latch  and  crest 
from  late  castration. 

Stocked  Legs. — "Filled"  or  dropsical,  swollen  legs  below 
knees  and  hocks,  the  result  of  a  lack  of  exercise  or  of  sickness. 

Stringy;  Stringhalt. — The  hind  leg  is  jerked  up  at  each 
step  in  walking  and  trotting.     See  Cramp. 

Stifled. — Patella  of  stifle  out  of  place.  Any  disease  of  the 
stifle-joint. 

Stump  Sucker. — See  Cribber. 

Sweeny. — Wasting,  (atrophy)  of  the  muscles  of  the 
shoulder. 

Switcher. — Tail  switching,  nervous  mare,  that  may  also 
throw  urine. 

Talks  to  the  Driver. — A  roarer. 

Takes  a  Little  Hold. — A  cribber. 

Ten  Minutes  Short  of  Work. — Balky, 


64  HORSE   SECRETS 

Tied  in  at  Knees. — Light  bone  and  tendons,  making 
the  part  markedly  constricted  under  knee. 

Thoroughpin. — A  fluctuating,  bursal  distension  which  can 
be  pushed  from  side  to  side  under  the  large  tendon  just  above 
the  hock-joint. 

To  Bush  on  Gristle. — To  get  a  rebate  on  purchase  price 
from  a  seller  when  a  side-bone  has  been  found  after  sale. 

Too  Much  Daylight  Under  Him. — A  leggy  horse. 

Tongue  Loller. — Tongue  hangs  from  mouth.  May  be 
paralyzed. 

Trephined. — A  molar  tooth  removed  by  punching  down- 
ward into  mouth  by  means  of  an  instrument  inserted  upon 
tooth  root  through  an  orifice  cut  (trephined)  in  bone  of  jaw. 

Trot  Cut  Short. — Short  stride  of  fore  legs. 

Wall-Eye. — See  Glass-eye. 

Washy  Coupled. — Long  and  loose  in  coupling  and  cut  up 
flank.    A  poor  keeper  that  tends  to  scour  when  warm  or  tired. 

Weaver. — A  horse  that  sways  and  swings  backward  and 
forward  in  stall.  The  action  is  akin  to  that  of  a  caged  bear, 
and  the  habit  is  learned  by  imitation  or  in  idleness.  It  may 
indicate  a  high-strung,  nervous  temperament  and  the  tendency 
to  it  may  possibly  be  transmitted  by  an  affected  sire  or  dam. 
It  seems  to  arise  from  the  restlessness  and  longing  to  escape 
from  "prison  life,"  or,  in  short,  suggests  the  "call  of  the  wild." 

Weed. — Has  heaves. 

Wiggler. — See  Bobber. 

Wind  and  Work. — See  No.  3,  Auction  Rules. 

Wind-Galls. — Puffs  or  bursal  distensions  at  the  sides  of 
the  tendons  at  and  above  fetlock  joints. 

Windy. — Unsound  in  wind,  a  whistler  or  roarer. 

Whistler. — A  form  of  roaring  in  which  there  is  a  slight  or 
pronounced  whistling  noise  made  in  exhaling  air. 

Winging. — Paddling  or  throwing  the  feet  outward  when 
in  motion. 

Worker. — See  No.  4,  Auction  Rules. 

Wears  the  Pants. — A  pacer  requiring  hopples,  or  wearing 
them. 

W.  W. — Short  for  "wind  and  work." 


^fc^AS^A 


